Green’s Dictionary of Slang

anything, often small, to which one cannot put a name, also an unnamed person or place; often used euph.

c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew n.p.: Gingumbobs, Toies, or Baubles.
1751		Smollett Peregrine Pickle (1964) 9: I was not hoisted over the bellies of better men, nor strutted athwart the quarter-deck in a laced doublet and thingumbobs at the wrists.
1759		J. Townley High Life Below Stairs II i: What Minuet? — Let me see — Play Marshal Thingumbob’s Minuet.
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue n.p.: Mr. Thingumbob; a vulgar address or nomination to any person whose name is unknown, the same as Mr. What-d’ye-cal’em.
1801		C. Dibdin Yngr Song Smith 120: ‘Pray, Muster [sic] Thingumbob,’ said the gentleman, ‘what the devil are all these lines for?’.
1803		R. Anderson ‘A Weyfe for Wully Miller’ Cumberland Ballads (1805) 87: There’ Greasy Gurvin, Matty Meer, / And thingumbob’ lal Debby.
1815		T. Moore ‘Epistle from Tom Cribb to Big Ben’ in Morn. Chron. 31 Aug. 3: Your trinkets, wigs, thingumbobs, gold lace and lotions.
c.1820		‘Extraordinary and Funny Doings’ in C. Hindley Curiosities of Street Lit. (1871) 13: Mrs Thingembob, what do you think.
1821		‘An Amateur’ Real Life in London II 17: You are better acquainted with the nomenclature, I think you call it, of them there thing-um-bobs than I am — what is the name of this here?
1823		‘Jon Bee’ Dict. of the Turf, the Ring, the Chase, etc. 172: Thing-um-bob thing-um-bee, and thing-a-merry, names of things, or thing-like persons, not worthy of being more distinguishedly marked.
1834		in Bang-Up Songster 19: [song title] ‘Squire’s Thingumbob and Kitty’s What You May Call It.’.
1837		‘Cannon Family’ in Bentley’s Misc. Aug. 160: This here foot is my own, and suppose I kicked you out of my house, Mr. Thingembob?
1841		Punch 31 July I 35: I was unfortunate to see a para — thingem-me-bob — for a howsmaid, wante in a nobbleman’s fameli.
1849		‘Epistle from Joe Muggins’s Dog’ in Era (London) 12 Aug. 3/2: Some old gal with a pimpled fiz and queer peepers invented these thingumbobs.
1850		F.E. Smedley Frank Fairlegh (1878) 507: I what the females call sympathise with you; – your thing-em-bobs – sentiments, eh? are perfectly correct.
1856		C. Reade It Is Never Too Late to Mend II 283: ‘Come on,’ shouted I to the honourable thingumbob, bother his name.
c.1864		‘Squire’s Thingumbob’ in Rakish Rhymer (1917) 83: His thingumbob, it stood so stiff, ’twas really in the nick, sirs.
1871		L.H. Bagg Four Years at Yale 45: Hewgag, a what-d’ye-call-it, a thingumbob.
1876		Morn. Star & Catholic messenger (N.O.) 26 Mar. 3/3: This thingumbod there goes down through the hole and fastens the jigamaree, and that comes with the crinkum-crankum.
1881		Bulletin (Sydney) 14 May. 4/1: Mr. Thingumbob,’ remarked the politican to the Parisian, as both ‘planted’ their fluids with evident satisfaction, ‘ that’s foine wine, isn't it?’.
1884		C.F. Lummis letter 10 Jan. in Byrkit Letters from the Southwest (1989) 140: The deodorization of the thing-a-mabob produced the present state of things.
1896		Harrington & LeBrunn [perf. Marie Lloyd] Maid of London Ere We Part 🎵 ‘Give me back my thing-a-my bob and you can keep the rest’.
1898		W.A. Sun. Times (Perth) 9 Jan. 3/1: The lady ‘looked nice in a blue bombazine thingembob’.
1899		Boy’s Own Paper 27 May 553: You know, Arthur Thingumbob, that you are as fat as a cream-cheese.
1904		Sun. Times (Perth) 21 Feb. 4/5: Exhortations to ‘Drink Blank’s Beer’ and ‘Smoke Thingumbob's Tobacco’ .
1905		Bulletin (Sydney) 27 July 36/2: A week later, ole Bill Leckie, the J.P., rode over wi’ some troopers to inquire into the reports made by Mister ’Onerible Thing-me-bob Smith.
1905		J.W. Carr ‘Words from Northwest Arkansas’ in DN III:i 97: thingm-a-dodger, n. A thing, what-do-you-call-it? Applied to an object when the speaker does not know or has forgot its name.
1905		L. Pound ‘Dialect Speech in Nebraska’ in DN III:i 66: thingumbob, thingumabob, thingabob [...] Indefinite expression applied to something, the name of which is not readily recalled.
1908		A.N. Lyons Arthur’s 298: The man ain’t never been to Bewney Thingamabob.
1909		L.W. Payne Jr ‘Word-List From East Alabama’ in DN III:v 380: thingumybob, thingumydoochy, thingumyjig, n. Applied indefinitely to anything whose name is not known or cannot for the moment be recalled.
1910		‘O. Henry’ ‘Robe of Peace’ in Strictly Business (1915) 88: I go through these thing-um-bobs with the rest of these old boys because they are the rules.
1917		‘Henry Handel Richardson’ Aus. Felix (1971) 103: Gad, it’s enough to make you burst your sides! That old thingumbob, the plaintiff, ye know, now what’n earth d’you think e’s been an’ done?
1917		Wodehouse ‘Extricating Young Gussie’ in Man with Two Left Feet 22: It’s like a sort of thingummybob, isn’t it?
1918		B.E.F. Times 22 Jan. (2006) 291/2: This thing-a-my-bob is dope for the air like the chlorine is for the water.
1925		A. Christie Secret of Chimneys (1956) 175: ‘Thingummybob,’ said Bundle.
1926		A. Angel ‘Golf Gab’ in AS I:12 628: In America, jigger is often used as an indefinite name, not too dignified, of the same order as thingumbob, doodad, or dingus.
1926		Wood & Goddard Dict. Amer. Sl. 15: doo-dad. Thing-um-a-bob; what-dye-call-it.
1929		J.B. Priestley Good Companions 244: Are these here [...] the thingumjybobs – pier-rots?
1932		M. Marshall Travels of Tramp-Royal 231: A serving lass takes me for a packman and asks what aboot thae thingmybobs she ordered last month.
1933		O.O. McIntyre New York Day by Day 16 Mar. [synd. col.] Thingumabobs: George Huston, the singer, is the son of a famous blind evangelist [etc.].
1942		in G. Legman Limerick (1953) 249: A geologist named Dr. Robb / Was perturbed by his thingumabob, / So he took up his pick / And whanged off his wick, / And calmly went on with his job.
1942		Whizzbang Comics 17: Fancy thinking that Pumpel-thingummy-bob’s something was Wizzofsky’s or somebody’s something else!
1944		P. Kendall Dict. Service Sl. n.p.: Thingamabob [...] articles whose technical names escape you for the moment.
1950		A. Christie Murder Is Announced (1958) 153: So stupid being all on the same thingummibob.
1959		D. Niland Big Smoke 33: That darkie thingummybob here — always in his room.
1963		G. Lambert Inside Daisy Clover (1966) 36: He flips a switch and the secretary’s voice comes over one of the thingamadoodles.
1972		(con. 1916) G. Swarthout Tin Lizzie Troop (1978) 184: His hatred of the dojigger and the thingumabob was rekindled.
1975		D. Nobbs Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin (1976) 49: ‘I haven’t got any – anything – we don’t use them – Elizabeth’s got a thingummybob,’ he said embarrassed.
1988		(con. 1940s) C. Bram Hold Tight (1990) 127: Why in blazes didn’t you use the right thingumabobs to begin with.
1996		K. Lette Mad Cows 88: Cindy thingymebob and what’s-her-name Foster.
2012		R. Milward Kimberly’s Capital Punishment (2023) 399: [H]e must have access to thingymabob’s bank account.
2018		G. Gilmore Base Nature [ebook] ‘Anathingybob’s too smart to leave a trail’.