dingus
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈdɪŋɡəs/
rhymes: -ɪŋɡəs
Forms: form: dinguses
form: dinges
Etymology: Probably of multiple origins. Partly a borrowing from Dutch dinges (“thingamajig, thingy; whatshisname, whatshername”), ding (“thing”). Probably also partly a borrowing from Afrikaans in view of its South African occurrence. The spelling dingus is remodeled to look like a Latin word ending in -us.
Senses: examples: text: "If anybody should come in, and catch you with your breeches, as it were, down on the floor, all you have to do is to drink the water, wrap the rubber dingus around you, and tell them to “lay on Macduff.”
ref: 1879, George Wilbur Peck, Peck's Fun, Being Extracts from the "La Crosse Sun," and "Peck's Sun," Milwaukee:
text: WLK. First radio station. On December 31, 1921, local engineer Francis F. Hamilton's radio station, 9ZJ, signed on with an address from Mayor Samuel (Lew) Shank. Broadcasting from Hamilton's garage at 2011 North Alabama Street, Shank made the city's first radio blooper: "Hamilton, do you mean to tell me that people can actually hear me over that damn' dingus?"
ref: 1921 December 31, “WLK”, in David J. Bodenhamer, Robert G[raham] Barrows, David Gordon Vanderstel, editors, The Encyclopedia of Indianapolis, Bloominton; Indianapolis, Ind.: Indiana University Press, published 1994, →ISBN, page 1399, column 2:
text: "He took the this-is-unheard-of-but-not-really-serious-of-course attitude of a street fakir whose mechanical dingus flops during a demonstration."
ref: 1929, Dashiell Hammett, Red Harvest:
text: I wet the rod and measured the stuff into the top and by that time the water was steaming. I filled the lower half of the dingus and set it on the flame.
ref: 1953, Raymond Chandler, The Long Goodbye, Penguin, published 2010, page 29:
text: ‘Say, what’s that dingus you Britishers wear when you’re playing cricket?
ref: 1979, Kyril Bonfiglioli, After You with the Pistol, Penguin, published 2001, page 241:
text: Drill #40 the .094 [2.4 mm] holes in the dingus. Dimple the #40 holes.
ref: c. 2010, Van's Aircraft, RV-12 Plans, p. 5-30
synonyms: word: thingamajig
word: Sorted by number of Google hits
word: widget
word: hickey
word: gizmo
word: thingy
word: gimmick
word: thingie
word: jigger
word: gismo
word: gubbins
word: whatsit
word: thingamajig
word: doodad
word: whatchamacallit
word: doohickey
word: thingo
word: thingamabob
word: thingummy
word: whatsis
word: thingumajig
word: thingumabob
word: whatchacallit
word: Sorted alphabetically
word: affair
word: bazinga
word: bizzo
word: dealie
word: dealy
word: dinglehopper
word: dingus
word: dohickey
word: dojigger
word: dongle
word: doo-hickey
word: doober
word: doodah
word: doofer
word: doohickus
word: doohinkey
word: doohinkus
word: doojigger
word: doovalacky
word: foobar
word: foo
word: frammis
word: frobnitz
word: gadget
word: geegaw
word: gewgaw
word: gingambob
word: gingumbob
word: hodad
word: hootenanny
word: jawn
word: jimbang
word: jobber
word: jobby
word: joint
word: junk
word: kajigger
word: kludge
word: MacGuffin
word: oojamaflip
word: rigamajig
word: shebang
word: stuff
word: thingabob
word: thingamabobber
word: thingamafuck
word: thingamajigger
word: thingamajiggy
word: thingmabob
word: thingmajig
word: thingmy
word: thingummabob
word: thingummajig
word: thingummyjig
word: thingum
word: thingymabob
word: thingymajig
word: thing
word: ting
word: whachacallit
word: whachamacallit
word: whaddayacallit
word: whatchamahoozie
word: whatdyecallem
word: whatdoyoucallit
word: whatnot
word: whatsaname
word: whatsitsname
word: whiff-whaff
word: whosiewhatsit
word: whosit
word: wossisname
word: wossname
word: wotsit
word: yoke
word: yokibus
glosses: A gadget, device, or object whose name is either unknown, forgotten, or omitted for the purpose of humor.
examples: text: I just lost my keys again. Now I feel like a dingus.
synonyms: doofus
glosses: A foolish, incompetent, or silly person.
examples: text: "He got mad at me because his dingus wouldn’t come up for him — too drunk, I guess. […]
ref: 1970, Don Tracy, The Last Boat Out of Cincinnati, Trident Press, published 1970, →ISBN, page 74:
text: And Chester Charles Smithers sucked on that warm black dingus for as long as he could.
ref: 2015, Quentin Tarantino, The Hateful Eight, spoken by Major Marquis Warren (Samuel L. Jackson):
text: How come you can say dink when you're talking about your jobs but I can't say dink when I'm talking about my dingus?
ref: 2018, Tom Gammill, Max Pross, 3 Scenes Plus a Tag From a Marriage, spoken by Bart Simpson (Nancy Cartwright):
synonyms: word: dink
word: anaconda
word: baloney pony
word: bald-headed hermit
word: banana
word: birdie
word: bobby
word: boonga
word: cack
word: choad
word: choda
word: chode
word: chopper
word: cigar
word: cock
word: corey
word: crank
word: cucumber
word: custard launcher
word: D
word: dick
word: dicklet
word: diddle
word: diddly
word: dingaling
word: ding-a-ling
word: ding-dong
word: dinger
word: dingle
word: dingus
word: dingy
word: dink
word: dinkle
word: dipstick
word: dirk
word: disco stick
word: dog bone
word: dong
word: donger
word: Donkey Kong
word: doodle
word: dork
word: down
word: fire hose
word: fuckpole
word: gherkin
word: hairy canary
word: hammer
word: hog
word: hot dog
word: hot rod
word: hoo-hoo
word: hooter
word: it
word: jade stalk
word: jamoke
word: jigger
word: jimmy
word: jock
word: johnson
word: John Thomas
word: joint
word: Jonathan
word: joystick
word: kielbasa
word: knob
word: lad
word: langer
word: lingam
word: love muscle
word: love stick
word: love truncheon
word: love sausage
word: love wand
word: machine
word: magnum
word: Master John Goodfellow
word: male member
word: manhood
word: man-meat
word: meat
word: meat puppet
word: meat rod
word: meat scepter
word: meatstick
word: meat stick
word: member
word: membrum virile
word: nature's scythe
word: nob
word: old chap
word: old fellow
word: one-eyed trouser snake
word: organ
word: package
word: pecker
word: peen
word: pee-pee
word: pee-wee
word: pego
word: penis
word: Percy
word: peter
word: phallus
word: pickle
word: piece
word: piece of pork
word: pike
word: pillicock
word: pingas
word: pink cigar
word: pink oboe
word: pintle
word: pipe
word: pisser
word: piston
word: pizzle
word: plonker
word: pork sword
word: prick
word: pud
word: purple-headed yogurt slinger
word: putz
word: p-word
word: python
word: ramrod
word: rape tool
word: rod
word: root
word: rutter
word: salami
word: sausage
word: schlong
word: schmuck
word: sex tool
word: shaft
word: shlong
word: shmekl (qualifier
word: colloquial
word: Yiddish)
word: short arm
word: skin flute
word: snake
word: snausage
word: spitstick
word: stem
word: stretcher
word: sucker
word: swipe
word: tadger
word: tagger
word: tail
word: tallywhacker
word: tarse
word: thing
word: thingy
word: third leg
word: tic tac
word: todger
word: tool
word: trouser monkey
word: trouser snake
word: truncheon
word: tube steak
word: unit
word: virile member
word: wang
word: weapon
word: wee-wee
word: weenie
word: weeny
word: whang
word: wick
word: widgie
word: widdler
word: wiener
word: willie
word: willy
word: wingwang
word: winkle
word: winky
word: yard
word: ying-yang
glosses: The penis.