I can’t find my doohickey. Have you seen my whatchamacallit? I need to give it to what’s-his-name.
When you temporarily can’t remember the word for something or someone, and you feel the word is just within reach, you are experiencing tip-of-the-tongue (TOT) phenomenon. Linguists also call this lethologica, in which speakers temporarily cannot retrieve a known word.
Linguists have a few theories as to why TOTs happen. One is blocked retrieval, which suggests that the retrieval of the target word is obstructed by the retrieval of a semantically or phonologically related but incorrect word. Interestingly, researchers have shown that monolingual speakers who are exposed to an unfamiliar language, by watching a short movie in an unknown language, exhibit more TOTs, which supports the blocking interference is happening at the whole-language level instead of at the individual word level. They have also proven bilinguals experience more TOTs than monolinguals.
When TOTs happen, we often make up words that provide some context for the forgotten object or name. Our brains decide the best temporary term when it’s drawing a blank, based on our age, social norms, and language. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, some replacement terms date back to the 12th century and are still used today. The term “so-and-so” dates back to 1596! “Thingamabob” started being used in 1751 and morphed into “Thingamajig” by 1824.
The phrase “What-call-ye-him” started in 1473, which became “What-d’ye-call-’em” by 1593, then onto “What’s-his-name” by 1697, to “Whatsisface” in 1967, and adding “What’s-her-face” in 1980.
Fun Fact: “Whatchamacallit” and “Whozeewhatzit” are both names of current chocolate bars made by Hershey’s.
Not surprisingly, TOT replacement words are found across world languages:
- Dingsdabumsda – German
- Huppeldepup – Dutch
- Ilokhuzane – Zulu
- Kuwan – Tagalog
- Naninani – Japanese
- Zamazingo – Turkish
The next time you experience a TOT, don’t panic. Just retrieve an accessible lexical term like … where did I put my Zamazingo?”
Read More:
Kania, Ursula, ‘Whatchamacallit’, ‘gizmo’ and ‘thingamajig’: what we say when we can’t find the right word – and why. The Conversation. July 8, 2024. https://theconversation.com/whatchamacallit-gizmo-and-thingamajig-what-we-say-when-we-cant-find-the-right-word-and-why-233836.
Oxford University Press. (n.d.). Thing or person whose name is forgotten or unknown. In Oxford English Dictionary. Retrieved July 22,, 2024, from https://www.oed.com/thesaurus/?classId=152065&openAt=152068.
r/languagelearning. (2020, February 20). A whatchamacallit in different languages [Online forum post]. Reddit. https://www.reddit.com/r/languagelearning/comments/f5zzj6/a_whatchamacallit_in_different_languages/.
Stasenko, A.& Gollan, T. (2019). Tip of the tongue after any language: Reintroducing the notion of blocked retrieval. Cognition. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cognition.2019.104027.