thingamajig

or thing·u·ma·jig

[ thing-uh-muh-jig ]

noun

, Informal.

1. a gadget or other thing for which the speaker does not know or has forgotten the name.

Word History and Origins

Origin of thingamajig¹

First recorded in 1870–75; thingum or thingummy + jig ¹, metrically patterned like gobbledygook, rigamarole; thingum perhaps originally from the gradational compound thingum-thangum (based on thing ¹ ) with the same terminal syllable as in crinkum-crankum, harum-scarum, trinkum-trankum, perhaps dog Latin or a facetious alteration of trinkets ( def )

Example Sentences

Honestly, who knows, it’s just the necessary thingamajig over which the primary players can fight over for two hours.

From Los Angeles Times

It doesn’t even have an opening sequence, wherein the bad guys steal the thingamajig that will trigger the crack team to go after them.

From Los Angeles Times

He’d been sitting on his birthday money for a month, waiting for Fiona to take us on the train into the city, to Newbury Comics, to browse through music, comic books, and assorted thingamajigs.

From Literature

It developed a reputation as the dollar store of the internet, shipping odd gimcracks and thingamajigs directly from vendors in China.

From New York Times

But it all falls apart in a hackneyed third act, as the characters end up in a rote standoff, bargaining for a thingamajig to save the world.

From Los Angeles Times

More About Thingamajig

What does thingamajig mean?

Thingamajig is a very informal word for an object whose name you don’t know, have forgotten, or can’t recall at the moment.

It’s often used to refer to gadgets or parts of things that might not even have a commonly known name, as in Before we attach the bracket, we have to insert this thingamajig here. 

Thingamajig is sometimes used even if you know the name of the thing you’re referring to. It can be used to be dismissive or to downplay the importance or value of an object, such as when someone is admiring it, as in What, these old thingamajigs? I’ve got a whole boxful of ’em. Take as many as you want. 

Less commonly, it can be spelled thingumajig. There are several other similarly informal words that are used in the same way, including thingamabob, thingy, whachamacallit, whatsit, doohickey, and doodad.

Example: My kids got me one of those thingamajigs that track your steps. What’s it called? A stepometer?

Where does thingamajig come from?

The first records of the word thingamajig come from the 1870s. The first part of the words thingamajig and thingamabob comes from the word thingum, an informal variant of the word thing similar to thingy. The word jig is used in the sense of a kind of mechanical device.

Have you got a junk drawer full of thingamajigs? The word is especially used to refer to small, physical objects, but its ambiguous nature means it can be used for all kinds of things (which is really the point of a word like thingamajig). Sometimes, it’s used just to be a bit funny, even if you actually know the name of the object you’re referring to.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to thingamajig?

• thingumajig (alternate spelling)

What are some synonyms for thingamajig?

• thingamabob
• thingy
• doohickey
• doodad
• doodah
• whachamacallit
• what-do-you-call-it
• whatsit
• whatsis
• dingus

What are some words that share a root or word element with thingamajig? 

 

• thing
• jig

What are some words that often get used in discussing thingamajig?

 

• gadget
• gizmo
• device
• contraption
• object
• item
• forget
• name

How is thingamajig used in real life?

Thingamajig is very informal. It’s especially used in speech as a way for the speaker to refer to something whose name they don’t know or can’t remember at that moment.

Anyone know where I can get one of those thingamajigs that punch holes into cans like this? pic.twitter.com/UqC1ANIIFh

— Ryan Parker (@kidparker) December 4, 2016

I finally installed the free google home thingamajig and asked her to play classical piano and now it’s gotten very Jane Austen-y. It’s like my own personal soundtrack.
Wait…. is this why people listen to music?

— Saberi Knakon (@IMSaberi) July 4, 2020

Bitfit thingamajig says I burned 4k calories today…so I should be hungry right? Because I'm not and it's a little disconcerting.

— Nix ~Your Proud Punkle 💜 (@MC_Etching) November 26, 2019

 

 

Try using thingamajig!

Is thingamajig used correctly in the following sentence?

This darn thingamajig doesn’t even work anymore—can you pick up another one at the store?