Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Something, especially a small device or part, whose name is unknown or forgotten.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun Any object, usually a tool or other device, whose name is forgotten, or not known.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A thing (used in a vague way to refer to something whose name one cannot recall)

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun something unspecified whose name is either forgotten or not known

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Perhaps doo(dad) + hickey.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

First attested 1914, of uncertain origin, probably from doodad + hickey.

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Examples

  • Get Help: Need to replace a part of your toilet but have no idea how to describe it to the person at the hardware store without using the word doohickey?

    Macworld 2009

  • I believe "doohickey" is the correct technical term for that particular control.

    A Bit More On Music Mirtika 2006

  • That's due to my genius brother-in-law Reed Richards, Mr. Fantastic, the leader of the FF, and his universal translator doohickey.

    Robert Brenner: "Flame Off!": Hosni Mubarak and the Human Torch Robert Brenner 2011

  • (Assuming the embedded doohickey works; it seems to be a bit temperamental right now.)

    March On! Hal Duncan 2010

  • Mine definitely has the musical greetings-card-style doohickey installed as Chris and Allison and meself agreed.

    On Prologues Hal Duncan 2009

  • That's due to my genius brother-in-law Reed Richards, Mr. Fantastic, the leader of the FF, and his universal translator doohickey.

    Robert Brenner: "Flame Off!": Hosni Mubarak and the Human Torch Robert Brenner 2011

  • So, here we have President Malcom J. Roebuck telling me, with a look of dead-eyed seriousness, that I can make $25 to $100 per hour by making and selling "metal pin-back badges" made with his $35 button crimper doohickey.

    Boing Boing 2009

  • (Assuming the embedded doohickey works; it seems to be a bit temperamental right now.)

    Archive 2010-05-01 Hal Duncan 2010

  • Training ones either have a plastic or rubbery doohickey attached at the apex of the chopsticks or are actually attached.

    PhotoHunter: Belated Utensil…. « Mudpuddle 2009

  • And, no, I don't know why the embedded doohickey cuts off the last few seconds of the song.

    For a Lark Hal Duncan 2009

Comments

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  • wotsit

    July 25, 2007

  • JM offers the warning - beware of oojahs, thingumabobs, doohickies and whatchamacallits as objects without proper names are never to be trusted.

    February 1, 2009