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whatdyamacallit

English translation: what do you call it / what you might call it

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
English term or phrase:whatdyamacallit
Selected answer:what do you call it / what you might call it
Entered by: Alison Schwitzgebel

07:59 May 4, 2004
English language (monolingual) [Non-PRO]
Art/Literary - Poetry & Literature
English term or phrase: whatdyamacallit
To start with we'll have lamb samosas and the yogurt whatdyamacallit.
Zhoudan
Local time: 00:09
what do you call it
Explanation:
We'll have lamb samaosas and yoghur "what do you call it". In this case it would probably be Raita, a kind of Indian yoghurt and cucumber dip.

HTH

Alison

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Note added at 2 mins (2004-05-04 08:01:24 GMT)
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The writer is suggesting that they do not know the name of what they are going to eat, but know that it is yoghurt based.

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Note added at 3 mins (2004-05-04 08:02:30 GMT)
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\"Yoghurt raitas are what serve as salads in India, and they are usually presented with the main course. They are fresh and cooling, but may also be spiced to taste. Other vegetables you can use instead of the cucumber are small aubergines (eggplant),
tomato dice, baby courgettes, carrots and spinach, or a mixture. think of tzatziki.\"
http://www.foodandrecipes.net/cucumber-yoghurt.html

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 5 mins (2004-05-04 08:04:07 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

\"Yoghurt raitas are what serve as salads in India, and they are usually presented with the main course. They are fresh and cooling, but may also be spiced to taste. Other vegetables you can use instead of the cucumber are small aubergines (eggplant),
tomato dice, baby courgettes, carrots and spinach, or a mixture. think of tzatziki.\"
http://www.foodandrecipes.net/cucumber-yoghurt.html

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 19 mins (2004-05-04 08:18:24 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

In Scotland this is a \"whatjimmycallit\". It may also be that the person speaking does not know how to pronounce \"Raita\".
Selected response from:

Alison Schwitzgebel
France
Local time: 18:09
Grading comment
Thank you all.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
5 +22what do you call it
Alison Schwitzgebel
5 +5what-do-you-call-it
IanW (X)
4 +6whatchamacallit
vixen
4 +1answer below
Louise Mawbey
5on a par with "thingamajig"
John Wellesly Helliwell


  

Answers


2 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +5
what-do-you-call-it


Explanation:
Something that is hard to classify or whose name is unknown or forgotten

IanW (X)
Local time: 18:09
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 35

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Vicky Papaprodromou
4 mins
agree  NancyLynn
6 hrs
agree  Alfa Trans (X)
6 hrs
agree  Rajan Chopra
9 hrs
agree  Craft.Content
16 hrs
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

3 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
answer below


Explanation:
something you say when you don't know what it is called - taken from "what do you call it"



Louise Mawbey
Germany
Local time: 18:09
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  NancyLynn
6 hrs
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

1 min   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +22
what do you call it


Explanation:
We'll have lamb samaosas and yoghur "what do you call it". In this case it would probably be Raita, a kind of Indian yoghurt and cucumber dip.

HTH

Alison

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 mins (2004-05-04 08:01:24 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

The writer is suggesting that they do not know the name of what they are going to eat, but know that it is yoghurt based.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 3 mins (2004-05-04 08:02:30 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

\"Yoghurt raitas are what serve as salads in India, and they are usually presented with the main course. They are fresh and cooling, but may also be spiced to taste. Other vegetables you can use instead of the cucumber are small aubergines (eggplant),
tomato dice, baby courgettes, carrots and spinach, or a mixture. think of tzatziki.\"
http://www.foodandrecipes.net/cucumber-yoghurt.html

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 5 mins (2004-05-04 08:04:07 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

\"Yoghurt raitas are what serve as salads in India, and they are usually presented with the main course. They are fresh and cooling, but may also be spiced to taste. Other vegetables you can use instead of the cucumber are small aubergines (eggplant),
tomato dice, baby courgettes, carrots and spinach, or a mixture. think of tzatziki.\"
http://www.foodandrecipes.net/cucumber-yoghurt.html

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 19 mins (2004-05-04 08:18:24 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

In Scotland this is a \"whatjimmycallit\". It may also be that the person speaking does not know how to pronounce \"Raita\".

Alison Schwitzgebel
France
Local time: 18:09
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in GermanGerman
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
Thank you all.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Louise Mawbey: much faster than me!
1 min
agree  IanW (X): And me ...
6 mins
agree  cmwilliams (X)
9 mins
agree  mrrobkoc
17 mins
agree  DGK T-I
20 mins
agree  A-Z Trans (X): whatsitcalled
28 mins
agree  Aisha Maniar
52 mins
agree  jerrie
54 mins
agree  Tony M: ...and particularly with that last point; it may well be the correct pronunciation that is foxing them!
55 mins
agree  Gayle Wallimann
58 mins
agree  MJ Barber: ... that yogurt stuff
1 hr
agree  Jacqueline van der Spek
1 hr
agree  Kornelia Longoria
2 hrs
agree  awilliams
2 hrs
agree  Refugio
3 hrs
agree  mportal: yes, in this case, I'm sure it must mean that., for the reasons given (although 'whatdyamacallit' doesn't, generally, of course, mean 'raita')
4 hrs
agree  Rajan Chopra
4 hrs
agree  hookmv
4 hrs
agree  elenus
5 hrs
agree  NancyLynn
6 hrs
agree  Alfa Trans (X)
6 hrs
agree  Java Cafe
8 hrs
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

16 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +6
whatchamacallit


Explanation:
The usual spelling of the word is 'whatchamacallit'. As the other answerers indicated, the word is used to indicate something you don't know by name or the name of which you don't remember.

what·cha·ma·call·it ( P ) Pronunciation Key (hwch-m-kôlt, hwch-, wch-, wch-) also what·cha·ma·call·um (-m)
n.
Something whose name has been forgotten or is not known.

----------------------------------------------------------------------[Alteration of what you may call it.]

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 19 mins (2004-05-04 08:18:30 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Other words to describe the same thing are \'thingumabob\', \'thingumajig\' or \'thingummy\'.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 20 mins (2004-05-04 08:19:21 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

THINGAMAJIG: Dictionary Entry and Meaning
WordNet Dictionary

Definition: [n] something whose name is either forgotten or not known

Synonyms: dohickey, dojigger, doodad, doohickey, gimmick, gismo, gizmo, gubbins, hickey, thingamabob, thingmabob, thingmajig, thingumabob, thingumajig, thingummy

See Also: stuff, sundries, sundry, whatchamacallit, whatsis

http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/thingamajig


    Reference: http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=whatchamacallit
vixen
Greece
Local time: 19:09
Native speaker of: Dutch
PRO pts in category: 8

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  John Wellesly Helliwell: Wow - what a great answer
21 mins
  -> Thanks, John
agree  Tony M: Yes, except I disagree about the 'usual' spelling; I've come across loads of different ones, all equally valid, or invalid, I guess...
39 mins
  -> My statement is based on the fact that 'whatchamacallit' is the spelling that is listed in several dictionaries. In addition, Google gives 19,500 hits for 'whatchamacallit' and considerably fewer hits for variant spellings.
agree  chica nueva: Similar spelling and definition in 'Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary'. Informal. I think it stands for 'what you may call it'(?)
2 hrs
agree  NancyLynn
6 hrs
agree  Java Cafe
7 hrs
agree  Rajan Chopra
9 hrs
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35 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
on a par with "thingamajig"


Explanation:
When you can't think of or don't know the name you say the above.
Also: Mr and Mrs Whatdyamacallem (what do you call them).
-"Thingamajig" is often used for a technical device or part of a device - also: a "Whatsit". E.g. if you want to regulated the temperature, just turn this little wahtsit/thingamajig.

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Note added at 38 mins (2004-05-04 08:37:34 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Sorry - I hadn\'t read vixen\'s terrific answer!

John Wellesly Helliwell
Italy
Local time: 18:09
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
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