Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. any person to which one cannot give a proper name; also attrib.

c.1642		T. Killigrew Parson’s Wedding (1664) IV vii: Mrs. (what’s her name) the Younger, asked why Mr. Wild did not go a-wooing to some rich Heir.
1725		Bailey (trans.) Erasmus’ Colloquies 527: What’s-his-Name the famous Painter.
1757		Foote Author in Works (1799) I 139: Look ye hear, Mr What’s-your-name.
1772		G. Stevens ‘Jack Tar’s Song’ Songs Comic and Satyrical 166: The What’s-their-names, at Uprorers squal, / With music fine and soft.
1793		F. Reynolds How to Grow Rich IV ii: Farewell, old What’s-his-name – Tommy.
1821–6		‘Bill Truck’ Man o’ War’s Man (1843) 414: Master What’s-his-name – Hurryburry – seemed to be of the same opinion.
1835		Duncombe Dens of London 55: Tom What-d’ye-call him was going to be parted from Bet What’s-her-name.
1853		N.Y. Clipper 17 Dec. 3/3: If Mr What’s-his-name don’t pay up [...] he’ll give him h—ll.
1854		G.J. Whyte-Melville General Bounce (1891) 186: Did you tip her any poetry? Tommy Moore, and that other fellow, little What’s-his-name?
1861		(con. 1840s–50s) H. Mayhew London Labour and London Poor III 306/2: You went into Mr. What’s-his-name’s shop.
1876		M.E. Braddon Dead Men’s Shoes II 279: That’s Miss – Whatshername, I suppose.
1877		J.Greenwood Dick Temple II 27: Send round to the surgery, Mrs. What’s-your-name, in about half an hour.
1884		(con. c.1840) ‘Mark Twain’ Huckleberry Finn 48: A considerable parcel of people which he didn’t know the names of, and so called them what’s-his-name.
1889		Music Hall & Theatre Rev. 4 May 182/2: So wrote dear old What’s-his-name.
c.1895		Constance Moxon [perf.] ‘By Their Language’ 🎵 [H]e says, ‘Ere! wot's yer game? / Do you take me for a what's-a-name?’.
1899		E.W. Hornung Amateur Cracksman (1992) 120: Is this von What’s-his-name a formidable cuss?
1900		Marvel XIV:344 June 11: Can the great ’err – whats ’e’s name – spring an extra tanner per ’our.
1901		‘Rolf Boldrewood’ In Bad Company 267: Good day – good day, Mr. Whatsisname!
1911		Gem 16 Sept. 11: One was inhabited by the What-d’ye-call-ems, and the second by the Thingumbobs, and the third by the Whatshisnames.
1914		E. Dyson Spats’ Fact’ry (1922) 97: What’s-yer-name [...] You can push ahead with your marryin’. I’m off it.
1918		C.J. Dennis ‘A Digger’s Tale’ in Chisholm (1951) 100: That’s ’ow I met this Duchess Wot s-’er-name – / Or Countess – never mind ’er moniker.
1918		D.G. Rowse Doughboy Dope 61: Whatzat has an equally famous [dictum] about commissioned officers [...] and Whatzisname has one about the private.
1921		D.L. Sayers Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club (1977) 5: Waiter, take away Lord Whatsisname, he’s been dead two days.
1923		Wodehouse Inimitable Jeeves 176: It was that number which What’s-her-name sings.
1936		D. Parker ‘The Sexes’ in Parker (1943) 14: This what’s-her-name girl came up and began talking to me.
1936		G. Greene Gun for Sale (1973) 147: Old what’s-his-name. Didn’t you read about him in the papers?
1945		(con. 1941) R. Westerby Mad in Pursuit 258: Isn’t it dreadful about what’s-is-name?
1950		A. Christie Murder Is Announced (1958) 103: Think old mother what’sername did?
1956		J. Curtis Look Long Upon a Monkey 196: Valerie caught sight of whatsisname, Mark, in the street.
1957		G. Kersh Fowlers End (2001) 256: Lend ’im a ’and, what’s-yer-name. Yes, you I mean, Doyle.
1958		J. Osborne Epitaph for George Dillon Act I: Does George Whats-his-name have to have my room?
1959		A. Zugsmith Beat Generation 68: He removed his light-weight straw hat in deference to Mrs. What’s-her-name.
1969		N. Spinrad Bug Jack Barron 8: What’s-his-name – whoever remembers anymore?
1974		D. Mamet Sexual Perversity in Chicago (1994) 86: The one she looks a bit like whatsername. [Ibid.] 93: Isn’t that whatsername [...] Whatzername, who you introduced me to last week.
1978		L. Kramer Faggots 281: He was momentarily sorry he’d not brought that Robbie Whatshisname back.
1978		A. Maupin Tales of the City (1984) 184: I guess Mrs Whatshername went back East.
1982		M. Braun Judas Tree (1983) 10: It’s whatzizname — the Irish poet?
1982		J. Davis Kullark 16: That flamin’ do-gooder Lyn what’s-’er-name.
1993		A. Rodriguez Spidertown (1994) 25: That girl he fucked a hundred times, whass-huh-name, the one who dyed her hair blond.
1999		K. Sampson Powder 223: They’re gonna go out with Pat McIntosh and, whatzizname, the little snapper, nice fella.
1999		Observer 1 Aug. 26: They’ve made Gus whatshisname Minister for something.
2000		J.J. Connolly Layer Cake 74: Did what’s-his-name, Duke, have the numbers of anyone up around our way in his book?
2007		S. Maloney Sucked In 141: Eventually, whatisname, Sid, got totally legless.
2012		R. Milward Kimberly’s Capital Punishment (2023) 397: [P]eople who were close to me, like whatshername.
2021		J. Ellroy Widespread Panic 319: With What’s His Name gone, we’d just be fishing for compliments.

2. any thing to which one cannot give a proper name.

1837		Thackeray Yellowplush Papers in Works III (1898) 238: The young genlmn wore green baize coats, yellow leather whatsisnames.
1843–44		Dickens Martin Chuzzlewit (1995) 439: ‘Talk of the what’s his name,’ observed the doctor rising.
1865		Dickens Our Mutual Friend (1994) 312: After all, you know, Bella, you haven’t told us how your Whatshisnames are.
1866		J. Greenwood Little Ragamuffin 250: Several ‘exy – what’s-o-names,’ in the shape of ghosts.
1870		E. Greey Queen’s Sailors III 235: You’re one of them what’s-his-names wot believe in having another of the opposite sex always cruising about in search of them.
1879		H. Hartigan Stray Leaves (2nd ser.) 139: [of a public house] Ye only tuk half-a-pint at the Red Cow! Yes; and [...] a half-pint at the what’s-his-name forninst the market!
1882		‘’Arry on a Jury’ Punch 15 Apr. 177/1: This Trial by Jury’s a plan / Which the Scribblers crack up to the nines as our Liberties’ wotsername.
1899		Crissie 101: ‘The biggest wot’s-’is-name in the theatre!’.
1925		Wodehouse Carry on, Jeeves 6: If you give them a what’s-its-name, they take a thingummy.
1939		K. Tennant Foveaux 220: I know you won’t mind if I ask you to leave the whatsisname.
1941		G. Kersh They Die with Their Boots Clean 4: It was a whatsiname, definitely a whatsiname. A triumph.
1943		R. Llewellyn None But the Lonely Heart 284: They must have one of them big new jobs, there. One of them super charger whatsnames.
1963		‘Nino Culotta’ Gone Fishin’ 18: Atom bombs, hydrogen bombs, sputniks, phenoma-wotsanames — they got the climate buggered.
1977		K. Gilbert Living Black 221: He went out and wrote a bloomin’ whatsername on how to make a Molotov cocktail.
1981		T. Wilkinson Down and Out 74: There might be a bed in whatsisname next door.
1998		G. Burn Happy Like Murderers 85: The what’s-her-name . . . vagina, isn’t that what they call it.
1999		Indep. Rev. 17 Sept. 17: I plugged [...] the what’s-its-name into the thingumajig.