As many of you know, I really love words and the fun that can be had with them. However, as you get older (so I’m told), you might have a bit of job trying to remember a particular word that you were searching for.

How many of us have said,

“Can you pass me that…….thingummyjig’ or  perhaps  ” where is the …….oojamaflip?” Where on earth do these silly words come from? I know I often resort to ‘do-dah’ when I can’t find the word I need.

My step-father had a broad West Country accent and he would often say something like,

“Go and get the wha’s call it for I, only it sounded more like wascot! He also had a lovely way of getting words mixed up as in ‘every Dick, Tom and Harry’  or better still, “pass I thick Amber Solamber, will thee?” Now of course he meant the Ambre Solaire suntan lotion. Bless him, he always took it in good part when we laughed!

Mr Grump is another one who can’t recall what he wants to say (well he is even older than I am), and will refer to things as a ‘gizmo’ or ‘dooberry firkin.’

It’s funny though as most of these words we resort to when we can’t think of the right one, are probably about three times as long!