It’s Friday and thus time for
Five Odd Words In Common Usage
- Doodad
- Thingamajig
- Doohickey
- Whatchamacallit
- Widget
Just so you understand how odd these words are, let’s look at some of the definitions of doodad:
- An un-nameable gadget of some sort, possibly highly technical.
- Another meaning for father or dad.
- A father of Indian descent.
- For when you use thingamajig too much: used to refer to an object you can’t remember name for.
- “Doodad” can be used as a noun, a verb, or an adjective. Adjective: You add “-ish” to the end of this word to state an opinion if you’re not sure if you like this or not and don’t want to insult someone. Noun: You can use it for it’s common, bland meaning as a nameless object, but you can also call someone a doodad to describe them as call or as uncool. Verb: You can use doodad as a verb to describe that you are doing something nameless and/or that you don’t want to explain.
So I could emit any of the following three sentences and make perfect sense:
Adjective: “Eh, I suppose it’s doodaddish.”
Noun: “Oh my God, he was being SUCH a doodad!”
Verb: “Nothing much, just doodadding.”
Your task, should you accept it, is to think of other odd words that have grown into similar catchall status.
