whatsis

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Related to whatsis: thingamajig, thingumabob

what·sit

(wŏt′sĭt, wŭt′-, hwŏt′-, hwŭt′-) or what·sis (-sĭs)

n. Informal

Something whose name is unknown or forgotten.

[From What's it (called)?]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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Noun

whatsis - something unspecified whose name is either forgotten or not known; "she eased the ball-shaped doodad back into its socket"; "there may be some great new gizmo around the corner that you will want to use"

gismo, gizmo, gubbins, thingamabob, thingamajig, thingmabob, thingmajig, thingumabob, thingumajig, thingummy, whatchamacallit, whatchamacallum, widget, doodad, doohickey, doojigger, gimmick

stuff - miscellaneous unspecified objects; "the trunk was full of stuff"

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References in periodicals archive ?

We've washed airplanes with VGs--they are a pain in the whatsis.

Vortex Generators: Got STOL? Think Twice: VGs are tiny vortices that keep airflow over the wing laminar at lower speeds, reducing stall speed and Vmc. The $2500 investment may be worth it

I can't abort, I've got a clearance void time and it'll be a pain in the whatsis to sort that out if I don't pick it up."

Timed-out takeoffs: your decision to abort, return or continue if there's a problem may get complicated by a clearance void time. It shouldn't

A reader survey brought much higher ratings for how-to stories ("Podunk School Board's 8-step plan for implementing whatsis") than for the shoe-leather intensive, inside-the-beltway ("Meeting in closed mark-up session, the House subcommittee has cut $XX, CPR has learned") stories that editor Hudelson prefers writing.