The Whatchamacallit: Those Everyday Objects You Just Can't Name

by Danny Danziger, Mark McCrum

The beginning of wisdom is to call things by their right names.
--Anonymous The world is full of whatchamacallits - things we ought to know the names for, might even think we know the names for, but when it comes down to it, don't know the names for. That's where The Whatchamacallit comes in. A fun and witty companion to daily life, The Whatchamacallit provides the proper names for more than 100 elusive thingamajigs and doohickeys, complete with the histories, myths, and anecdotes behind them. The entries collected here are not extraordinary, nor are they the unlikely objects used by specialists or experts. The whatchamacallits in these pages are things that we see, touch, use, or think about every day. Objects that are between our fingers and under our noses--and yet we cannot put a name to them. From achenes to zucchetto , from bobeche to vibrissae , The Whatchamacallit covers the flotsam and jetsum of daily existence. Whimsical, informative, and just plain smart, this useful compendium offers hours of enjoyment for anyone who just likes to know stuff. The Whatchamacallit will transform you from someone who is occasionally at a loss for words to that far more dynamic person who--in an understated and discreet way--always knows the right word for everything.

Genres: Nonfiction, Language, Reference, Words, Writing, Linguistics, History

224 pages, Hardcover

Published May 12, 2009

Reviews

[Helen]

This book tells about obscure objects. The best part is the excellent explanation of how a car engine works!

[Peg]

The title is self-explanatory. Terrific book for people who collect words. If you ever need to refer to the hardened tips of shoelaces, you now have a word. I consider myself relatively well-read, but was familiar with only 20 of the 200 definitions. Great present for friends who like word trivia.

[Charli]

Fun, short explanations of lesser known words like aglet and philtrum.
Very tongue in cheek, each entry gives a bit of history about the word.

[Ashur]

I learned a number of very important words from this book.

[Amanda]

A fun read

[Caren]

A lot of fun! This is a great little book to pick up at odd moments. You probably wouldn't want to sit down and read it cover to cover, but it's fun to dip into. It lists names for common objects whose names you probably don't know. It also tells a bit of the history of the object in question. For example, did you know that frisbees were named for pies made in a bakery owned by a Mr. Frisbie in Bridgeport, Ct.? He bought the bakery in 1871 and made the popular pies in tin baking dishes which could be returned to get back a 5-cent deposit. The students at Yale took to tossing the pie tins for fun. The authors go on to tell of the evolution of the toy, and that the ridges along the upper edge are called 'arcuate veins'. Now, this is trivia that no one needs to know, but--hey!--it's interesting and fun!

[M]

Danny Danziger and Mark McCrum set out to accomplish a unique task - find the names of those everyday items that seem to slip from our tongues. The majority of the book is amuzing and informative, offering insights into the punctual interrobang, the noisy borborygmus, the digital dongle, and the interruptive tmesis. While I did find some useful additions to my vocabulary (the cartoony grawlix and the jet-related contrail), I feel the book lacks substance. Considering the variety of verbiage that exists, this tome should be jam-packed with inane trivia. Here's hoping a second volume follows along quickly!

[Yofish]

Really 3.5

A very short book that's really just a list of words and their definitions. It's supposed to be things that we encounter every day and just don't know the names of. Which it mostly is. (Some are less everyday, and some you already know the definition of.) And that's about it. Some entertainment, and it was short. Seems like they could have done better delving into etymology or history or something.

[♥ Sandi ❣]

Wonderful little book detailing things you may see and use on a daily basis, but have no idea what they are called. This book not only names them but gives you a small briefing about how they came to be and what they are meant to be. A fasinating and fun collection of terms covering just about every word group imagainable. Wonder what a Deely - bopper is or Gluteal crease is....time to read this book! 3 stars

[Kari Eggerling]

Interesting. I did know some of the words listed. I thought at least some of the pictures should have been in color and some should have been a little bigger since it was difficult to read the labels. I also think that more of the words should have had an pronunciation key.

2017 Reading Challenge:
# A Book with Multiple Authors
#15 A Book with a Subtitle
#30 A Book with Pictures

[Roy Murry]

Very interesting book. Now I know what aglet, eylet, burpee,contails, and etc. are. Always enjoy learning. These and many other words defined in this book I will use in my writing.

[Rianna *Hermione* B]

Really great. Fun & informative book of words. Feel smarter because you can name things.. like achenes (ah-keens), the seeds on strawberries.. & so many other words.

[H.L. Burke]

Cute little book with fun facts. A nice assortment of words to learn. Might be a good book for a scrabble player who needs to be able to justify the word "zarf."

[Wendy Gray]

fun quick read

[Trey]

My favorite:

BORBORYGMUS (pronounced bor-buh-rig-mus) is the name for the rumbling, gurgling, growling sounds made by the stomach.

[Dorian]

Fascinating and fun to pick up and skim through. I liked learning with the dots on a dice is called! Lol!

[Renegade Librarian Extraordinaire]

What do you call a vehicle with only one headlight lit? What about those little non-edible bags of stuff found in foods to keep them fresh? Or those little dots on dice? What about those thingies used to measure your feet when shopping for shoes? Or the technical term for the "fist bump" greeting that is so commonly seen among friends?

"The Whatchamacallit," by Danny Danzer and Mark McCrum can answer these questions. This strange and fascinating book is a collection of terms used to describe those things (both unusual and everyday) you just can't name. Whether you skim through its pages or sit down for an in-depth read, you WILL come away from this book knowing something you didn't know before you picked it up!!

[Sarah]

Ok so super cool book. It was a fun little side book to read and I would suggest it. HOWEVER, I would take this book with a grain of salt. They made one mistake that I could notice about their research. Seriously, do your research. Funny me, after years of reading and watching the Harry Potter series I had no idea that Harry got the Firebolt in Goblet of Fire. All of these years thinking it was a present from his godfather Sirius Black and a major plot point in Prisoner of Azkaban -.-* do your research Danny Danziger and Mark McCrum. You should be expecting an angry letter from me, shortly.

[Tegan]

I love reading books like these. Some of the names I already knew, like dongle and umlaut, but most I did not. I will definitely be keeping this book around, and use some of the names when I can in conversation. There's nothing wrong with being the one who sounds smart!

[Leslie]

good stuff!

[Eric]

An excellent fact book detailing the proper names of things we use/see everyday. Very educational (even for those of us who think we know everything)