Chambers lists:
thingamy, thingummy, thingamybob, thingamyjig, thingumabob,
thingumajig, thingumbob, thingummybob, thingummyjig
It's all too easy to make a wrong grid entry for this word if you go by the definition or a few crossings alone. Be sure to fully work out the wordplay first – the setter might be expecting a different spelling.
Some examples of ways in which the word has been spelt in crosswords:
Times 20112: Unspecified object producing rare high bounce (11) THINGAMYBOB
THIN (rare) HIGH (gamy) BOB (bounce)
Guardian 25156 (Rufus): Skinny, toothless what's-his-name (9) THINGUMMY
THIN (skinny) GUMMY (toothless)
Times 24696: What's-his-name's light adhesive — a shilling (11) THINGUMABOB
THIN (light) GUM (adhesive) A BOB (shilling)
THC 10001 (Gridman): G-man and hobbyist tossed gadgets for which you can't recall the name (12) THINGAMYBOBS
(G MAN HOBBYIST)*
Other clues for thingumabob that you can recall?
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Whatchamacallit is another similar one.
ReplyDeleteThanks Kishore. Haven't seen this word in crosswords...guess it isn't as setter-friendly as thingumbob.
ReplyDeleteAgree, I haven't seen it too. But isn't 15 letter length rather tempting as it just fits in a grid with no surplus or slact. Let's try cluing it.
ReplyDeleteSorry, that should have been slack, not slact.
ReplyDeleteLet's try cluing it.
ReplyDeleteI'm game!
Am wearing wide brimmed headdress, price (50% off) about £50. It's stuff for which the label isn't important (15) WHATCHAMACALLIT
AM, in W (wide) HAT (brimmed headdress) CHA[-rge] CA (about) L (£) L (50) IT
Phew, my longest clue ever.
The security guard was detailed to eat his hat and a flower, got confused and couldn't remember names(15)
ReplyDeleteSecurity guard detailed = WATCHMAN(-n), HAT, flower = LILAC
couldn't remember names = WHATCHAMACALLIT
The poor watchman! After such a feast, who would remember names?
ReplyDeleteTimer, a mother rang it, whatsit ?
ReplyDeleteWatch-a-ma-call-it
Thingy to appropriately catch a llama with(15)
ReplyDeleteBlech. Sounds gross, but does the job : )
Great clue, Bhavan.
ReplyDeleteConfused tall chacha with mother, "Wit, Whatsit?"
ReplyDeleteThis would have been better:
ReplyDeleteConfused tall chacha: "Mother wit? Whatsit?"
Who ate cheese (Amul) ? Actually all licked double tops. Time to stuff (15)
ReplyDeleteCap a Cambodian adult with shout, splitting levity that one cannot recall (15)
ReplyDeleteWhat is the name of this South American desert spread over most of chile and initially having least tolerable weather?
ReplyDelete( ATACAMA + CHIL(-e) + H L T W)*
(could even qualify to be a sixth class geography 1-mark question :-P)
Albatross and Prasanna S: Thanks for your geography-special clues :)
ReplyDeleteOne from me -
Something to plot in case of calamity and law breaking, when leader of Yemen's gone missing (15)
HATCH (plot) in (CALAMITY + LAW)* - Y
Wide Opening, a graduate call for it to get a candy bar(15)
ReplyDeleteWide-w
Opening-hatch
a graduate a ma, call it
Whatchamacallit - a candy bar in US(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whatchamacallit_(candy))
Two more spelling variants of thingumabob (source - Word web):
ReplyDeletethingmabob
thingmajig
Outlook’s hard to open, a computer – all computers – identifying unspecified device (15)
ReplyDelete@Sandhya: A word specially coined for absent-minded people it seems. If they can forget the name they can't be trusted to remember the spelling of its placeholder :)
ReplyDelete@anax: What a clue! The play on "Outlook" is pure brilliance!
A calm chat with a loggerhead? Totally effed up! This freaking idea is forgettable (15)
ReplyDeleteThanks Eric. Your clue reads like an actual piece of conversation! Really nice how "with a" is part of the fodder and not a connector as we might first think.
ReplyDeleteShuchi
ReplyDeleteThe fact that you got something nice to say about each and every clue is really admirable. You are so kind. It deserve a lot of credit.
A very late addition to this (because it's something I've just this minute remembered). Times setter Richard Rogan used - a couple of years ago - another unusual synonym of 'thingumabob', namely the glorious OOJAMAFLIP.
ReplyDelete