Another language lesson

There is an Internet forum I often visit. It is not a joke forum, or a linguistics forum, but a political, slash cultural forum. I caught an interesting exchange on it the other day, and here are some excerpts, starting with the initial post. I guarantee you'll learn something today.

Initial post:

I'm an engineer and yes...I use a lot of duct tape but after 35 years of marriage my wife still translates items she can't put a name to as a "thingy". I've let this pass with a smile but have wondered how many people actually use this word (if it is a word) during everyday conversation...

Interesting responses (some shortened):

• Same as a whatchamacallit, but different than a whatsits.....
• Halfway between a gizmo and a doodad.
• is that the same as a thing-a-ma-jig ?
• It is a basic version of a dohickey
• In Monty Python sketches it is a euphemism for “sexual congress.”
• Its like a peepee only smaller.
• Technical NOTE: 2 thingys together make a “KLUGE”...............
• if something involves a person who’d name escapes me, they become a Hoozit.
• I think it is the same as a doomawhatchit.
• It’s a small hoohah, but not as complex as a widget.
• A Thingy is the opposite of a Dinghy!
• thingy is short for thingamabob or thingamajig.
• A comosigiama.
• I often use "Chingaletta", which a Mexican forman I used to work for would use to call anything he couldn't name at the time. It wasn't until about 6 years ago when I found out the true meaning of "chingaletta" It means "F#$%ing thing". Usage: "Hand me that chingaletta over there"
• A “thingy” is a “shmingy.”
• It depends ... a thingy can also be a gozinta or a gozouta, depending on its orientation.
• ”dooflatchey” is also acceptable.....”
• Isn’t dooflatchey the socially unacceptable passing of unknown gases?
• Same as the “deal”.
• “Thingy”......you know.... it’s the same as a somethin-or-other.
• It’s the opposite of unthingy.
• As long as you remain the gazinta, you needn’t worry about the thingy.
• In German it’s Dingsdabums.
• It’s a dunsel.
• In my little corner of the Air Force, "thingies" don't exist. However, "whatsits" and "how ya doins" are in abundance: "Hey there, Hero. Give me that whatsit over there by the how ya doin." That sentence wouldn't confuse me at all.
• Thats called a phatch-a-motter. You use it with a bisco-fig-nut.
• Whatnot.....
• Thingy = 1 Whoozie-Whatzit however1 Thingy = 2.32 Hooky-Dookies. Hooky-Dookies are metric.
• No, thing-a-ma-jig is used to connect thing-a-ma-bobs...
• It’s an unspecified word, so when she can delay deciding the definition of that word. Wife: “Go fix the thingy”You : “Okay”.... a few hours later, Wife: “I thought I told you to fix the dripping faucet” You: “When you said thingy I thought you meant ice tray.” Wife: “No! I meant the faucet, now go do it!” Wife (thinking to self): “Men just don’t listen.”
• It’s usually next to the Doowangus
• Probably short form of “thingummy,” which is also a Britishism.
• I remember my first dinorkel.
• In my culture it's a fremmis.
• No one has mentioned bazooty. Originally, it mean just odd things found in food, like bad meatloaf. It has expanded to mean any kind of unknown, small object.
  
  
• Thingy, thingy, bo-bingy Banana fana fo fingy Fee fi fo fingy. Thingy.

• Actually, a thingy is ganip of the ganap variety. I thought everyone knew that.
• It’s the same as a whatsamagigger.

And so on, you know, more thingies like that...