A cadigan (or kadigan) is a sort of word that inhabits a syntactic space between nouns and pronouns. Specifically, cadigans refer to objects or parts of objects whose actual names are unknown or unremembered, or to which names have not been assigned. Cadigans serve as placeholders for names of objects that are otherwise unknown or unspecified.
Cadigans in the English language for inanimate objects
Prototypical cadigans in the English language include:
- blivet
- deelie-bob, deelie-bobber
- device
- dingus
- doodad
- doohickey
- doofunny
- gadget
- geemie
- gizmo
- hoochamajigger
- odds and ends
- oojah
- oojamaflip
- thingamajig
- thingamabob
- thingamadoodle
- thingum (the early form that was elaborated into the adjacent words on the list)
- thingummy
- thingy
- whatchamacallit
- whatsit
- whosey
- whoseywhatsit
- whosis
- widget
- wossname (British form of whatchamacallit)
Items which have been or could conceivably be described with a cadigan are torque wrenches, sewing machine bobbins, nail pullers, crochet hooks, and other objects which are gender or trade specific. They are typically smaller than a breadbox.
Thingamajigs are typically specialized devices which have a limited number of uses or a single specific use. The term is typically employed by one whose experience with the use of the object is nonexistent or very limited. Regular users of such devices would never refer to them as thingamajigs or any of the related terms listed below.
A thingamajig is different from a widget, in that a widget is an actual, but not yet named or constructed, mechanical component. It is also different from a gadget, in that "gadget" is the generic term for a superfluously useful device, such as a remote garage door opener, whose name is easily remembered.
Thingamajigs are of such a nature that they are also typically referred to by ___location: "The doofunny on the kitchen counter", "the geemie beside the couch", or "that thing on top of the fridge". It is assumed by the listener that anything else on top of the fridge, such as the box of tissues, the pictures of the kids, or the can of air freshener, which are more ordinary and thus more nameable than the "thing" for which one is looking, are not the requested object. Where one might request a hammer with no reference to ___location, one would not similarly request a doohickey.
Even among the world of otherwise nameless things referred to by cadigans, there is a hierarchy of specificity. "Thing", as its name implies, is universally applicable. It is likely, however, that a "gizmo" involves some minor degree of technological sophistication, connoting as it does some mechanical or electronic aspect.
Most of these words exist in the less formal register of the English language. In more formal speech and writing, words like paraphernalia, artifact, or utensil are called into play; these words also refer to things made by human hands without getting specific about their form or function. These words also differ slightly in usage: artifacts are usually found objects of indeterminate age and purpose, while utensil suggests cutlery.
Other words used as cadigans
Other words that may have specific technical meanings are occasionally used as cadigans as well. Some words that are so used in English include:
Cadigans in the English language for people
Cadigan-like expressions can refer to people as well. Among words or phrases used in English to refer to people of unknown or irrelevant name are:
- So-and-so
- What's his/her face
- What's his/her name
Certain fixed expressions are used as placeholder names in a number of specialized contexts. In formal legal contexts, John Does are sometimes mentioned; in more informal English, people sometimes need to speak of Old So-and-so or What's-'is-name or Miss Thing. Tommy Atkins is a mythical Briton who filled out all his forms correctly, and as such lent his name to British soldiers generally. John Smith, often from "Anytown, U.S.A.," and John Q. Public are also used as placeholder names for unnamed citizens, and similarly in Britain one might refer to Fred Bloggs. In theatre, television and motion pictures, the great actors Walter Plinge, David Agnew, and George Spelvin are pseudonyms used for cast members who prefer to go unnamed. The name Alan Smithee is similarly used by film directors who wish to remain anonymous.
Movies and theatre also give rise to another specific type of cadigan, the MacGuffin. This is any object or person used to drive a plot, but which otherwise has no relevance to the action, and thus could be replaced in the script with another similar item with no loss of sense.
Cadigans in the English language for places
In some forms of English, Cadigans exist to represent places, particularly the stereotypical back-blocks town in the middle of nowhere. These include:
- East Jesus in the USA
- Podunk in the USA
- Woop-woop in Australia
- Waikikamukau (pronounced 'Why kick a moo-cow") in New Zealand
In computing, cadigans also exist.
- Foo and bar (see Metasyntactic variable) are commonly used as placeholders for file and variable names.
- Frapazoid is sometimes used to denote a generic piece of software.
Cadigans in other languages
Most other languages have cadigans of some sort in their vocabulary.
Esperanto has an all-purpose cadigan root um, which has no fixed meaning, which can be inflected in various forms, umi, umo, umilo, etc.
In French, an unspecified artifact can be le bidule; this is from military slang for something in disarray; the word machin, derived from machine, is also used as a cadigan. To call something a truc suggests a gadget that gets its job done with astonishing efficiency. Quebec French also has patente, gogosse and such (most of which have verb forms meaning "to fiddle with").
German also sports a variety of cadigans; some, as in English, contain the element Dings, Dingsda, Dingsbums, cognate with English thing. Also, Krimskrams suggests some sort of technical doodad. In a slightly higher register, Gerät represents a miscellaneous artifact or utensil. The use of the word Teil (part) is a relatively recent cadigan in German that has gained great popularity since the late 1980s. Initially a very generic cadigan, it has obtained specific meaning in certain contexts. For example, to buy ecstasy customers usually simply ask for parts (Teile) without danger of ambiguation.
In Latin the word res (thing) is used. Some Latin legal writers used the name Numerius Negidius as a John Doe placeholder name; this name was chosen in part because it shares its initals with nomen nescio, "I don't know the name."
In Italian the word coso is used.
In Japanese, naninani (a doubled form of the word nani, meaning what) is often used as a cadigan. It does not neccessarily mean a physical object; for example, it is often used to stand in for an omitted word when discussing grammar. The Mandarin Chinese equivalent (same meaning and usage) is shenme shenme (什么什么).
In Polish most popular cadigans are dynks (see German Dings) and wihajster (equals to German wie heisst er? - how do you call this?). Others like elemelek or pipsztok are probably not so well known.
In Portuguese, common cadigans are treco and negócio, among others. Cadigans for people are usually Fulano/Fulana (optionally surnamed de Tal), Sicrano/Sicrana and Beltrano/Beltrana. João das Couves ou José da Silva are also used.
In Russian, the most common cadigans are штука (thing) and хуйня (in mat).
Spanish tends to use fairly self-explanatory phrases as cadigans: el como-se-llama, el que-te-dije; they also reach for Latin, and borrow quídam as a word for something or another. Mexican Spanish adds chingadera, not to be used in polite circumstances. Cadigans for unspecified persons include Don Fulano/Doña Fulana and Fulano/Fulana de Tal; if a second or third person is needed, they are Mengano and Zutano.
In Maori the word taru, literally meaning "long grass" or "weeds" is used.
One of the cadigans in Ubykh, zamsjada, may be related to another word meaning useless.