Whatchamacallits, or Names for the Little Things

Updated February 21, 2017 | Factmonster Staff

Are you often stumped by the name of a little thing? Do you call common objects whatchamacallits? Help is on the way! There are names for those little things in life.

  • Belt: tongue, punch holes, keeper
  • Broom: neck (where stick is attached to broom)
  • Clothespin: grinning hole, claw end
  • Comb: spine, teeth
  • Door: lintel, jamb, threshold
  • Eyeglasses: eye wires (surround glass), budge (bridges the nose), temples (hook over the ears)
  • Hair dryer: barrel, air vents
  • Hat: brim, crown
  • Hot dog roll: hinge
  • Hot dog string: linker twine
  • Nail: shank, head
  • Padlock: shackle (movable arched bar)
  • Pail: ears (where handle attaches to pail)
  • Paper clips: legs (straight), bends (rounded)
  • Safety pin: shaft
  • Scissors: blades, pivot, bow handle (large), ring handle (small)
  • Shoe: aglet (tip of shoelace), welt (between upper and sole), counter (back panel)
  • Sock: toe, gore (back)
  • Stairs: tread, riser, railing, banister, newel post
  • Staple: crown, legs
  • Toothbrush: block handle, block head (where bristles are inserted)
  • Window: lintel, sill, panes, sash
  • Zipper: pull tab, slide, teeth
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