Green’s Dictionary of Slang

anyone for whom one cannot provide or does not wish to specify the name.

1592		Nashe Pierce Pennilesse 89: He is so busie with my L. How-call-ye him, and my L. What-call-ye him, that he may no be spoken withall.
1607		Dekker & Webster Westward Hoe II ii: Sir Gozlin, will you tast a Dutch whatch you callum.
1621		Rowley, Dekker & Ford Witch of Edmonton II i: Send one of thy what d’ye call ’ems.
1632		R. Brome Covent-Garden Weeded I i: What-doe-call her Sir, I pray?
c.1642		T. Killigrew Parson’s Wedding (1664) V ii: A pair of those what d’ye call’ems, those he-waiting women, Beasts, that Custome imposes upon ladies. [Ibid.] IV i: Do any of you know this woman? [...] It is old Goodman what d’ye call him, his wife.
1663		Jack Adams his perpetual almanack (2 edn) 30: It signified he would be a Cuckold, not long after he married one of my neighbours in Turnbull-street and it proved accordingly. Another time my Lord Whatdeyecallum that married the German Princess came to me [etc].
1676		D’Urfey Madam Fickle I i: Sirra, walk you yonder in the (what d’e call ’ems) the Piazzas and if Flaile my Man come, direct him hither.
1676		Wycherley Plain-Dealer III i: Is not that Mr. what-d’y’call-him, that goes there?
1693		Congreve Old Bachelor I i: He has my Lord What-d’ye-call’s mouth to a tittle.
1697		Female Wits III i: Good Mr What-d’-call-’um, this last speech to the highest pitch of raving.
1700		Congreve Way of the World I ii: mirabell: What d’ye-call-’ems! what are they, Witwoud? witwoud: Empresses, my dear : by your what-d’ye-call-’ems he means sultana queens.
1701		Cibber Love Makes a Man II i : Such a clear Skin! white Neck, and a little lower, such a Pair of round, hard, heaving what d’ye call-ums.
1707		N. Ward Wooden World 41: The Ship’s crew [...] often call his Words to Account, and too often count his Sunday-Labour a Sham, and himself a sacred What-ye-call-’em.
1707		Humours of a Coffee-House 27 Aug. 11: Sir What-you-call-him Fireplace.
1720		C. Shadwell Irish Hospitality I i: I am acquainted with all the topping Procurers in all the great Streets, from Mother Whatd’yecallum’s in Drury-Lane, to Mother Thing’em’s in Leicester-Fields.
1728		Vanbrugh & Cibber Provoked Husband V ii: You must bid Mr. What-d’ye-call-um call another time.
1738		Swift Polite Conversation 21: I hear, my Lord, what d’ye call ’um is courting her.
1749		Smollett (trans.) Adventures of Gil Blas I 72: Mr. What d’ye call ’um, (replied the broker with an air of indifference) I never exact too much.
1751		Smollett Peregrine Pickle (1964) 683: An order for thirty pounds upon the what-d’ye-call-’em in the city.
1754		Foote Knights in Works (1799) I 69: Cousin What-d’ye-call-um, not a word about Mally Pengrouse.
1762		G. Colman Musical Lady I i: There’s his honour squire What-d’ye-call-him.
1766		Colman & Garrick Clandestine Marriage V ii: That my lord Ogleby’s, and that my lady What-d’ye-call-em’s.
1771		Smollett Humphrey Clinker (1925) I 37: Mister What-d’ye-callum, by my soul and conscience I am very glad to sea you.
1779		Mme D’Arblay Diary (1891) I 156: That Miss What-d’ye-call-her would have cried.
1785		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.
1788		G.A. Stevens Adventures of a Speculist I 86: The Waiter at What-d’ye-call-um’s. [Ibid.] II 250: Didn’t Kitty Clear but last Opera night get the What-you-call-’em the Umbassadors Sekertary, only because she had more diamonds than I on?
1794		Sporting Mag. Oct. V 6/1: Such a scene, ha! ha! would have made Mr. What-d’ye-call-him, the crying philosopher, himself laugh.
1800		Sporting Mag. June XVI 126/2: A rout at Mrs. Such-a-one’s, Mrs. What-d’ye-call-her’s Gala – and Madam Thing-a-my’s Ball.
1812		‘Hector Bull-us’ Diverting Hist. of John Bull and Brother Jonathan 11: Why, it is but the other day, that old Oliver What-d’ye-callem, kicked her rump for her.
1818		W. Scott Heart of Mid-Lothian (1883) 219: D--n me, if they would take me, if I would not rap to all whatd’yecallums.
1827		J.J. Stafford Love’s Frailties II i: I say, Mr. What-d’ye-callum, I axed thee a civil question.
1828		R.M. Bird City Looking Glass V i: Look ye here, Mr. What-d’ye-call-’em.
1836		Devizes & Wilts. Gaz. 8 Dec. 4/3: Missus what-d’-ye-call-her, there, with her long outlandish name.
1838		Dickens Oliver Twist (1966) 281: This is the lad, who, being accidently wounded [...] in some boyish trespass on Mr What-d’ye-call-him’s grounds.
1841		D. Boucicault London Assurance in London Assurance and other Victorian Comedies (2001) Act II: Allow me to say, what, Sir What-d’ye-call’em, Carthorse Hartly?
1848		Sinks of London Laid Open 49: Tom What-d’ye-call-him was going to be parted from Bet What’s-her-name.
1848		Thackeray Vanity Fair I 374: I walked by the side of the what-d’ye-call-’em, you know.
1853		‘Cuthbert Bede’ Adventures of Mr Verdant Green (1982) I 108: You ain’t subject to the whatdyecallems — the rheumatics, are you?
1853		Life in Boston & N.Y. (Boston, MA) 8 Oct. n.p.: [of prostitutes] Four of the girls are ‘notorious’, known by everybody as common ‘what-d’ye-call-’ems’.
1854		Thackeray Newcomes I 286: I have been called a coward by you and by that little what-d’-you-call’m.
1854		Delhi Sketch Bk 1 June 61/2: A Tucktoo is a sort of a what you-call-em that keeps late hours on the roof, and sings a song.
1858		Yorkville Enquirer (SC) 22 Apr. 4/2: We have tgraveled over the fields in Spring [...] knocking about the what-you-call-’ems.
1859		G.A. Sala Gaslight and Daylight 86: The Medical students’ public is never known by its sign [...] it is always distinguished among the students as Mother So-and-so’s, or Old What-d’ye-call-him’s.
1864, 1867, 1870		Hotten Sl. Dict. 269: ‘What d’yecall’em’ a similar expression to thingumy.
1865		Dickens Our Mutual Friend (1994) 250: The spontaneous thingummies of the incorruptible whatdoyoucallums.
1865		Moulton letter in Drickamer Fort Lyon to Harper’s Ferry (1987) 173: Invitations to ‘take tea’ to ‘quilting parties’ and them ‘what you call ’ems’ when a lot of women folks get together [...] and jabber.
1874		J. Greenwood Wilds of London (1881) 9: Master Whatyecallem will oblige with a clog dance.
1884		(con. c.1840) ‘Mark Twain’ Huckleberry Finn (2001) 106: Miss What-you-may-call-her, I disremember her name.
1884		Sporting Times 23 Aug. 2/2: It [...] reflects high credit on Messrs. Somebody and Whatdoyou callem.
1888		Detroit Free Press 8 Dec. n.p.: Won’t it be rather hard at first to give up all the pink suppers and kettledrums and afternoon what-do-you-call-’ems?’ [...] [F&H].
1895		Crowe Aus. Sl. Dict. 94: What d’ye Call ‘Em, the name of anything the name of which you can’t remember.
1908		A.N. Lyons Arthur’s 207: The filly on the off-side there. ’Er with the yaller whatyoucallem an’ peacock hat.
1909		‘O. Henry’ Roads of Destiny 177: Try the Little Sisters of What-d’-you-call-’em.
1911		Gem 16 Sept. 11: Gaul [...] was once inhabited by the What-d’ye-call-ems.
1915		G. Bronson-Howard God’s Man 128: So I starts calling him divers kinds of sons-of-what-you-call-’ems, and then we sparred for a clinch.
1918		C.J. Dennis ‘A Digger’s Tale’ in Chisholm (1951) 101: I know this Baroness uv Wot-yeh-call / Wants somethin’ tall.
1922		Joyce Ulysses 58: There’s whatdoyoucallhim out of. How do you? Doesn’t see. Chap you know just to salute bit of a bore. [Ibid.] 288: - What? says Alf? Good Christ, only five... What?... and Willy Murray with him, the two of them near whatdoyoucallhim’s.
1936		Mencken Amer. Lang. (4th edn) 564: He makes bold avail of composition, as in attaboy and whatdyecallem.