The other day a friend and I were trying to remember the name of an obscure British actor from back in the 1960s. His name continued to escape us, although we both knew who we were talking about. So we settled on calling him "what's'isname" or on occasions "what's'isface".
It served as a reminder of how flexible the English language can be and how lucky the British are. If they cannot think of the right name for an object or a person, they simply make one up. "Whatsit" is another useful word as in "where's the whatsit?" Similar words which don't really mean anything include "whatnot" and "whatchamacallit".
Another common all-encompassing word is "thingy". Admittedly it is not the most attractive word in the English language but is certainly one of the most useful. If you ask where "thingy" is, there is usually someone who will know.
An extensions of "thingy" is "thingamabob". This word was immortalised in Walt Disney's Cinderella when the fairy godmother casts her spell with the unforgettable "The thingamabob that does the job is bibbidy-bobbidy-boo." They don't write lyrics like that these days.
There is no way I'm going to attempt to explain what "bibbidy-bobbidy-boo" means, but I suspect you won't come across it in any political analysis in this newspaper. Well, I hope not.
And if you really want to find out who what's'isname was, I can recommend a 1968 comedy film entitled I'll Never Forget What's'isname starring, you know, old thingy.
The thingamabob
It was Rudyard Kipling who once observed: "Words are the most powerful drug used by mankind." One suspects he didn't have "thingy" in mind when he said that. Other useful "thingy" words are "thingummy" and "thingamajig". In the early 1970s I recall there was a Bangkok nightclub called Thingamajig where you could dance the, er, "thingamabob" or maybe it was the "bibbidy-bobbidy-boo".
Other words of this ilk which you probably won't find in the dictionary but might come in handy are "oojah", "oojamaflik" and "doofer".
Maybe the Thai language has similar words which don't really mean anything but provide an important function when your memory lets you down.
One thing is for sure. The more wrinkly and forgetful I am, words like "thingy" are becoming increasingly useful. Hopefully I will not have to resort to "bibbidy-bobbidy-boo".
A load of codswallop
I admire anyone who learns English as a second language as there are so many ridiculous words that can be quite confusing. I recall a Thai colleague at the Bangkok Post a few years ago asking the meaning of "codswallop" and did it have anything to do with fish? I explained it is a colourful way of saying something is nonsense, but I was clueless as to how the word originated.
After diligent research I can safely say that no one really knows where "codswallop" comes from. The best explanation is that a 19th-century gentleman, Hiram Codd, invented a special type of bottle which often contained beer.
In the old days the slang for beer was "wallop" and still is in some parts. Apparently, the beer in Mr Codd's bottles always seemed to be very weak, so "codswallop" became a derogatory term for beer that was not the real thing and therefore was "nonsense".
I admit to be not totally convinced by that explanation. In fact it could be a load of codswallop.
Balderdash and tripe
There are dozens of words meaning nonsense, many of them quite vulgar. However, there are also some splendid alternative expressions of disgust including hogwash, bunkum, drivel, claptrap, prattle, piffle, poppycock, mumbo jumbo, tripe, twaddle and, last but not least, balderdash.
These words are particularly beloved by politicians in their parliamentary jousting, although of course in Thailand we haven't experienced much of that in recent years. It still brings joy to the heart when a pompous politician is put in his place and accused of talking "tripe".
Art of being disingenuous
An early frontrunner for "Word of the Year" must be "disingenuous", which has been surfacing with alarming frequency in 2017. Meaning "a lack of candour or sincerity and giving a false appearance of simple frankness", the word has been around since the 17th century, but it seems to have really taken off in recent times.
Apart from being difficult to spell, it is a very useful term -- a rather polite way of saying someone is not telling the whole truth without actually having to use the word "lie", which can be a bit too confrontational. It is also rather helpful because not everybody is entirely sure what it means, including people who use the word, so it retains a certain ambiguity.
You even hear of people accused of "disingenuousness", and if we want to be really silly, there are also cases of "nondisingenuousness", but please don't try to say this if your mouth is full.
Hot air
"The word "disingenuous" often pops up in articles about the gentleman currently residing in the White House, although to be fair there are very few politicians who have not been economical with the truth over the years. One suspects there have even been a number of disingenuous comments made lately concerning that airship which has been put out of its misery and transferred to an inactive post, having spent more time on the ground than up in the air.
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