8 Versatile Slang Terms That Can Mean Almost Anything

Philadelphians have a unique gem in jawn, a slang term that can stand in for just about anything. Whether you don’t know the name of something, prefer to keep it vague, or rely on context to do the talking, jawn has you covered. But it’s not alone—English and its variants are full of such adaptable words. From thingummytite to gilguy, here are eight standout examples.

Thingummytite

If Ariel from The Little Mermaid had listed all the variations of thingamabob in “Part of Your World,” the song would’ve stretched the entire film. English speakers have creatively expanded on the word thing, giving rise to terms like thingy, thingamajig, and the British favorite thingummytite. This term builds on thingummy, which itself derives from thingum. 

Dingus

The term Dingus traces its roots to Dutch and Afrikaans, where dinges refers to unspecified objects. Since the 1800s, individuals in North America and South Africa have used dingus to refer to unnamed things or people. By the late 1900s, it evolved to describe someone foolish or clumsy, though it also informally refers to male anatomy.

Oojah

Nearly overwhelmed by the number of oojahs he’s carrying. | Heritage Images/GettyImages

Interestingly, not all terms for 'thing' include the word

thing in their origins. Oojah, a term popularized by British soldiers in World War I, has unclear roots. One theory proposes it might be a shortened version of a more formal expression, similar to how whatchamacallit stems from what you may call it.

Another hypothesis traces oojah to ḥujjat, a word in Urdu and Persian meaning 'argument,' or its Arabic counterpart, ḥujja. This idea gains traction from the variant oojah capivvy, which mirrors the Urdu and Indo-Persian phrase ḥujjat kāfī fīhi, translating to 'the argument is sufficient' or 'enough said.'

By World War II, oojah had taken on a new meaning among soldiers: 'sauce or custard.' Additionally, the term oojah-cum-spiff, meaning 'fine' or 'all right,' appeared, primarily in the writings of P.G. Wodehouse, who may have coined it himself.

Da kine

Da kine serves as the Hawaiian Pidgin equivalent of jawn. It evolved from that kind, likely influenced by the English phrase that kind of thing. However, its usage extends far beyond its origin, functioning as a noun, adjective, adverb, and verb in Hawaiian Pidgin. It’s often used to avoid specificity, as shown by Atlas Obscura: 'Don’t get sloppy with me, before I da kine you.' It can also substitute for forgotten words or those implied by context, as in 'I wen pick up one case da kine,' from the blog Kaʻahele Hawaiʻi. Its adaptability is truly remarkable.

Frammis

Since the 1930s, frammis has been used to describe anything from an unspecified object to utter confusion or nonsense. Its origins remain unclear, but during the same period, Frammis became a popular placeholder name for individuals or companies, hinting that it might have been inspired by a real person with the last name Frammis. The term gained traction in comic strips, with New Republic noting in 1944 that in the comic Silly Milly, 'all names are Frammis, laughter is Yuk Yuk, and the language of animals is Coo.'

Tiddlypush

This is likely how the marriage of George Tiddlypush and Amelia Stick-in-the-mud would have appeared. | Print Collector/GettyImages

Tiddlypush was a popular fictional surname in the 20th century. In Wodehouse’s 1939 novel Uncle Fred in the Springtime, a character remarks, 'When an engagement is called off, The Times doesn’t provide detailed coverage. It simply states, “The marriage arranged between George Tiddlypush and Amelia Stick-in-the-mud will not take place.”'

Alternatively, it could serve as a versatile noun substitute, as demonstrated by Samuel Beckett in his short story What a Misfortune. A character named 'Mr. bboggs' sings:

'He wore a beltWhenever he feltA pain in his tiddlypush,A chemical vestTo cover his chestWhen cannoning off the cush.'

Bizzo

In Australia and New Zealand, bizzo is a casual term for thingy. Derived from business, it’s also used to refer to actual business matters, whether personal or commercial, according to the Oxford English Dictionary. In Alan Duff’s 1992 novel One Night Out Stealing, a character says, 'You leave the bizzo side to me.' Similar to frammis, it can also mean 'nonsense.'

Gilguy

In nautical terms, guy refers to a rope that stabilizes objects being lifted, lowered, or secured. Sailors in the 19th century adopted the term gilguy as a catch-all for any object they couldn’t name.