gizmo
a mechanical device whose name can't be remembered
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
So what will be the next big GIZMO that could redefine our workplaces and make not only communication a bit simpler, but also turn our lives into a living hell if we don't have one?
(The Sunday Herald)
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The idea of a GIZMO-filled Christmas normally fills me with horror, but this year I am hoping that Santa might leave a new mobile phone in my stocking.
- Jane Wakefield, BBC technology reporter
(The Sunday Herald)
---
The idea of a GIZMO-filled Christmas normally fills me with horror, but this year I am hoping that Santa might leave a new mobile phone in my stocking.
- Jane Wakefield, BBC technology reporter
Did you
know?
gizmo (plural, gizmos)
noun, slang
- a mechanical device or part whose name is forgotten or unknown
(The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
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WORD ORIGIN
Gizmo is an American term of unknown origin. It was first recorded in the early 1940s. Gizmo is in a category of words that are used to describe things that don't have names. These words are sometimes referred to as placeholder names. They are made-up words that refer to objects whose names are either irrelevant or unknown in the context in which they are being discussed.
Here are other common placeholder names:
widget - along with gizmo, usually refers to a modern electronic or technical device
gadget (http://owad.de/owad-archive-quiz.php4?id=692)
dingus (note the German root "Ding")
thingamabob, thingamajig
(http://owad.de/owad-archive-quiz.php4?id=1374)
doohickey US)
whatchamacallit (what-you-may-call-it)
doodah, doodad
gubbins (a collection of unimportant things, and can mean any type of object)
Then there are occasions when someone's name does not easily come to mind when telling a story. Here, just insert a placeholder: "I was headed to WHATSHISNAME's house when I got stopped by the police." This is just a single word for the phrase "What is his name?"
Can't remember the name of a city or town? Try this: "We were driving to WHATSITSNAME when the car broke down." This is a fast and lazy way to say, "What is its name?"
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SMUGGLE OWAD INTO TODAY’S CONVERSATION
say something like:
"Harry just bought an Iphone, what’s your favourite gizmo?"
noun, slang
- a mechanical device or part whose name is forgotten or unknown
(The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
---
WORD ORIGIN
Gizmo is an American term of unknown origin. It was first recorded in the early 1940s. Gizmo is in a category of words that are used to describe things that don't have names. These words are sometimes referred to as placeholder names. They are made-up words that refer to objects whose names are either irrelevant or unknown in the context in which they are being discussed.
Here are other common placeholder names:
widget - along with gizmo, usually refers to a modern electronic or technical device
gadget (http://owad.de/owad-archive-quiz.php4?id=692)
dingus (note the German root "Ding")
thingamabob, thingamajig
(http://owad.de/owad-archive-quiz.php4?id=1374)
doohickey US)
whatchamacallit (what-you-may-call-it)
doodah, doodad
gubbins (a collection of unimportant things, and can mean any type of object)
Then there are occasions when someone's name does not easily come to mind when telling a story. Here, just insert a placeholder: "I was headed to WHATSHISNAME's house when I got stopped by the police." This is just a single word for the phrase "What is his name?"
Can't remember the name of a city or town? Try this: "We were driving to WHATSITSNAME when the car broke down." This is a fast and lazy way to say, "What is its name?"
---
SMUGGLE OWAD INTO TODAY’S CONVERSATION
say something like:
"Harry just bought an Iphone, what’s your favourite gizmo?"
