‘Whatchamacallit’, ‘gizmo’ and ‘thingamajig’: what we say when we can’t find the right word – and why

“Apparently, the struggle to find the right word is real and has been for some time, because the Oxford English Dictionary has its own category for these terms, labelled “thing or person whose name is forgotten or unknown”. It includes 64 entries and some records go back as far as the early middle English period (1100–1300).”

https://theconversation.com/whatchamacallit-gizmo-and-thingamajig-what-we-say-when-we-cant-find-the-right-word-and-why-233836

#Memory #English #Language #Linguistics #Word #Words #Lexicon #Dictionary @linguistics