Placeholder name
Encyclopedia
Placeholder names are words that can refer to objects or people whose names are either temporarily forgotten, irrelevant, or unknown in the context in which they are being discussed. "Whatchamacallit" is an example.
typically function grammatically
as noun
s and can be used for people (e.g., John Doe, Jane Doe
), objects (e.g., widget
) or places (e.g., Timbuktu
). They share a property with pronoun
s, because their referents
must be supplied by context; but, unlike a pronoun, they may be used with no referent—the important part of the communication is not the thing nominally referred to by the placeholder, but the context in which the placeholder occurs.
Stuart Berg Flexner
and Harold Wentworth's Dictionary of American Slang (1960) uses the term "kadigan" to describe placeholder words. They define "kadigan" as a synonym for thingamajig. The term may have originated with Willard R. Espy
, though others, such as David Annis, also used it (or cadigans) in their writing. Its etymology
is obscure—Flexner and Wentworth related it to the generic word gin for engine
(as in the cotton gin
). It may also relate to the Irish
surname
Cadigan. Hypernym
s (words describing generic categories; e.g., "flower" for tulip
s and rose
s) may also be used in this function of a placeholder, but they are not considered to be kadigans.
of the English language. In formal speech and writing, words like accessory, paraphernalia, artifact
, instrument
, or utensil
are preferred; these words serve substantially the same function, but differ in connotation.
Most of these words can be documented in at least the nineteenth century. Edgar Allan Poe
wrote a short story entitled "The Literary Life of Thingum Bob, Esq"., showing that particular form to be in familiar use in the United States
in the 1840s. In Gilbert and Sullivan
's The Mikado
, W. S. Gilbert
makes the Lord High Executioner sing of a "little list" which includes:
Some fields have their own specific placeholder terminology. For example, "widget
" in economics or "Blackacre
" in law.
:
Certain fixed expressions are used as placeholder names in a number of specialized contexts. People sometimes speak of Old So-and-so or What's-'is-name or What's-'is-face (cruder) or Miss Thing (popular in the Southern US states, where it refers to a female who thinks herself better than other people, and often pronounced Miss Thang). Tommy Atkins
is a mythical Briton who filled out all his forms correctly, and as such lent his name to British soldiers generally; his Canadian counterpart is "Corporal (or some other rank) Bloggins". 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 Joe Bloggs. "Joe Random" or "Joe Average" are also referred to, sometimes more specifically as "Joe Average Voter" or "Joe Random Customer". In Australia
, the name John Citizen is used in a similar capacity on samples of forms or cards. In America, Joe or Jane Sixpack
refers to the perceived average middle
or working class
person. In theatre
, television
and motion pictures
, the great actor
s Walter Plinge
, David Agnew
, and George Spelvin
are pseudonym
s used for cast members who prefer to go unnamed. The name Alan Smithee
is similarly used by film directors who wish to remain pseudonymous (often because their film did not turn out well). Conversely, placeholders can be used to conceal identity, as seen in the above Gilbert and Sullivan lyrics. The Newfoundland entertainer "Buddy Whasisname" derives his stage name from a common local usage (combining two terms) describing an unknown male.
Movies and theatre also give rise to another specific type of placeholder, the MacGuffin
. This is any object or person used to drive a plot or as the goal of a quest
, 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. A foozle is a generic enemy or group of enemies that must be defeated for the plot to move on in a game. Scriptwriters for science fiction productions such as 'Star Trek
' often use the word "TECH" as a placeholder which the show's technical adviser can later replace with some plausible-sounding detail (e.g., a type of radiation or particles).
Cryptographers conventionally use a fixed cast of characters when describing their systems in general terms. For example, the quintessential cryptographic system has Alice wanting to send a message to Bob without Eve being able to eavesdrop on them. These names are even used in formal, peer-reviewed papers in the field, see Alice and Bob
.
Sir or Madam/Ma'am. In English-speaking society
, the most universally accepted forms of address to another person, known or unknown, and regardless of station, are "Sir" (to men) and "Madam", sometimes shortened to "Ma'am", (to women). "Sir" and "Madam/Ma'am", for example, are considered acceptable forms of address for most of the world's heads of state
, including royalty.
Friend. "Friend", or other synonyms of amity, may be used in its literal sense, but is often used ironically to indicate displeasure or hostility. May also be used between strangers in a non-ironic manner. Used especially among Quakers
, the Society of Friends.
Terms of endearment
. Words such as "honey" or "sweetie" are generally perceived as affectionate between friends, family or intimates. Outside this group, or in more formal or professional settings, the use of these words becomes more problematic. Their use by a person to a member of the opposite sex may be seen as forward or presumptuous, or even patronizing and demeaning (especially when used by a man to a woman). When used by a woman to address another woman, the sense may be friendly or hostile (see Friend, above); when used by a man to another man, it is generally perceived to have homosexual overtones (i.e., suggesting that either the speaker or the addressee—or both—is homosexual).
Second-person placeholder names include:
Other place names include:
Common components of placeholders for places are -town, -ville, -hampton (in the United Kingdom
), -vale, Big-, Mid-, Middle-, Little-, Small-, Bally- (in Ireland
), and Any-. The National Health Service
of the UK, as well as the Department for Transport
, use a large variety of placeholders as examples, including:
Linguistic role
These placeholdersFree variables and bound variables
In mathematics, and in other disciplines involving formal languages, including mathematical logic and computer science, a free variable is a notation that specifies places in an expression where substitution may take place...
typically function grammatically
Grammar
In linguistics, grammar is the set of structural rules that govern the composition of clauses, phrases, and words in any given natural language. The term refers also to the study of such rules, and this field includes morphology, syntax, and phonology, often complemented by phonetics, semantics,...
as noun
Noun
In linguistics, a noun is a member of a large, open lexical category whose members can occur as the main word in the subject of a clause, the object of a verb, or the object of a preposition .Lexical categories are defined in terms of how their members combine with other kinds of...
s and can be used for people (e.g., John Doe, Jane Doe
John Doe
The name "John Doe" is used as a placeholder name in a legal action, case or discussion for a male party, whose true identity is unknown or must be withheld for legal reasons. The name is also used to refer to a male corpse or hospital patient whose identity is unknown...
), objects (e.g., widget
Widget (economics)
The word widget is a placeholder name for an object or, more specifically, a mechanical or other manufactured device. It is an abstract unit of production. The Oxford English Dictionary defines it as "An indefinite name for a gadget or mechanical contrivance, esp. a small manufactured item" and...
) or places (e.g., Timbuktu
Timbuktu
Timbuktu , formerly also spelled Timbuctoo, is a town in the West African nation of Mali situated north of the River Niger on the southern edge of the Sahara Desert. The town is the capital of the Timbuktu Region, one of the eight administrative regions of Mali...
). They share a property with pronoun
Pronoun
In linguistics and grammar, a pronoun is a pro-form that substitutes for a noun , such as, in English, the words it and he...
s, because their referents
Reference
Reference is derived from Middle English referren, from Middle French rèférer, from Latin referre, "to carry back", formed from the prefix re- and ferre, "to bear"...
must be supplied by context; but, unlike a pronoun, they may be used with no referent—the important part of the communication is not the thing nominally referred to by the placeholder, but the context in which the placeholder occurs.
Stuart Berg Flexner
Stuart Berg Flexner
Stuart Berg Flexner was a lexicographer, editor and author, noted for his books on the origins of American words and expressions, including I Hear America Talking and Listening to America; as co-editor of the Dictionary of American Slang' and as chief editor of the Random House Dictionary, Second...
and Harold Wentworth's Dictionary of American Slang (1960) uses the term "kadigan" to describe placeholder words. They define "kadigan" as a synonym for thingamajig. The term may have originated with Willard R. Espy
Willard R. Espy
Willard Richardson Espy was a U.S. editor, philologist, writer, and poet. He is particularly remembered for his anthology of light verse and word play, An Almanac of Words at Play, and its two sequels...
, though others, such as David Annis, also used it (or cadigans) in their writing. Its etymology
Etymology
Etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time.For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages and texts about the languages to gather knowledge about how words were used during...
is obscure—Flexner and Wentworth related it to the generic word gin for engine
Engine
An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert energy into useful mechanical motion. Heat engines, including internal combustion engines and external combustion engines burn a fuel to create heat which is then used to create motion...
(as in the cotton gin
Cotton gin
A cotton gin is a machine that quickly and easily separates cotton fibers from their seeds, a job formerly performed painstakingly by hand...
). It may also relate to the Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
surname
Surname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...
Cadigan. Hypernym
Hypernym
In linguistics, a hyponym is a word or phrase whose semantic field is included within that of another word, its hypernym . In simpler terms, a hyponym shares a type-of relationship with its hypernym...
s (words describing generic categories; e.g., "flower" for tulip
Tulip
The tulip is a perennial, bulbous plant with showy flowers in the genus Tulipa, which comprises 109 species and belongs to the family Liliaceae. The genus's native range extends from as far west as Southern Europe, North Africa, Anatolia, and Iran to the Northwest of China. The tulip's centre of...
s and rose
Rose
A rose is a woody perennial of the genus Rosa, within the family Rosaceae. There are over 100 species. They form a group of erect shrubs, and climbing or trailing plants, with stems that are often armed with sharp prickles. Flowers are large and showy, in colours ranging from white through yellows...
s) may also be used in this function of a placeholder, but they are not considered to be kadigans.
Placeholder names in English
These words exist in a highly informal registerRegister (sociolinguistics)
In linguistics, a register is a variety of a language used for a particular purpose or in a particular social setting. For example, when speaking in a formal setting an English speaker may be more likely to adhere more closely to prescribed grammar, pronounce words ending in -ing with a velar nasal...
of the English language. In formal speech and writing, words like accessory, paraphernalia, artifact
Cultural artifact
A cultural artifact is a term used in the social sciences, particularly anthropology, ethnology, and sociology for anything created by humans which gives information about the culture of its creator and users...
, instrument
Tool
A tool is a device that can be used to produce an item or achieve a task, but that is not consumed in the process. Informally the word is also used to describe a procedure or process with a specific purpose. Tools that are used in particular fields or activities may have different designations such...
, or utensil
Cookware and bakeware
Cookware and bakeware are types of food preparation containers commonly found in the kitchen. Cookware comprises cooking vessels, such as saucepans and frying pans, intended for use on a stove or range cooktop. Bakeware comprises cooking vessels intended for use inside an oven...
are preferred; these words serve substantially the same function, but differ in connotation.
Most of these words can be documented in at least the nineteenth century. Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe was an American author, poet, editor and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective...
wrote a short story entitled "The Literary Life of Thingum Bob, Esq"., showing that particular form to be in familiar use in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in the 1840s. In Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the librettist W. S. Gilbert and the composer Arthur Sullivan . The two men collaborated on fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which H.M.S...
's The Mikado
The Mikado
The Mikado; or, The Town of Titipu is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, their ninth of fourteen operatic collaborations...
, W. S. Gilbert
W. S. Gilbert
Sir William Schwenck Gilbert was an English dramatist, librettist, poet and illustrator best known for his fourteen comic operas produced in collaboration with the composer Sir Arthur Sullivan, of which the most famous include H.M.S...
makes the Lord High Executioner sing of a "little list" which includes:
... apologetic statesmen of a compromising kind,
Such as: What d'ye call him: Thing'em-bob, and likewise: Never-mind,
and 'St: 'st: 'st: and What's-his-name, and also You-know-who:
The task of filling up the blanks I'd rather leave to you.
Some fields have their own specific placeholder terminology. For example, "widget
Widget (economics)
The word widget is a placeholder name for an object or, more specifically, a mechanical or other manufactured device. It is an abstract unit of production. The Oxford English Dictionary defines it as "An indefinite name for a gadget or mechanical contrivance, esp. a small manufactured item" and...
" in economics or "Blackacre
Blackacre
Blackacre, Whiteacre, Greenacre, Brownacre, and variations are the placeholder names used for fictitious estates in land.The names are used by professors of law in common law jurisdictions, particularly in the area of real property and occasionally in contracts, to discuss the rights of various...
" in law.
Computing-specific
Placeholder names are used commonly in computingComputing
Computing is usually defined as the activity of using and improving computer hardware and software. It is the computer-specific part of information technology...
:
- Foo, Bar and Baz (and combinations thereof) are commonly used as placeholders for fileComputer fileA computer file is a block of arbitrary information, or resource for storing information, which is available to a computer program and is usually based on some kind of durable storage. A file is durable in the sense that it remains available for programs to use after the current program has finished...
, functionSubroutineIn computer science, a subroutine is a portion of code within a larger program that performs a specific task and is relatively independent of the remaining code....
and variableVariable (programming)In computer programming, a variable is a symbolic name given to some known or unknown quantity or information, for the purpose of allowing the name to be used independently of the information it represents...
names. Distinguish FUBARFUBARFUBAR is an acronym that commonly means "fucked up beyond all recognition/any repair/all reason".-Etymology and history:The Oxford English Dictionary lists Yank, the Army Weekly magazine as its earliest citation: "The FUBAR Squadron..... - Hacker slangJargon FileThe Jargon File is a glossary of computer programmer slang. The original Jargon File was a collection of terms from technical cultures such as the MIT AI Lab, the Stanford AI Lab and others of the old ARPANET AI/LISP/PDP-10 communities, including Bolt, Beranek and Newman, Carnegie Mellon...
includes a number of placeholders, such as frob, which may stand for any small piece of equipment. To frob, likewise, means to do something to something. In practice it means: to adjust (a device) in an aimless way. - Alice and BobAlice and BobThe names Alice and Bob are commonly used placeholder names for archetypal characters in fields such as cryptography and physics. The names are used for convenience; for example, "Alice sends a message to Bob encrypted with his public key" is easier to follow than "Party A sends a message to Party...
, alternatives for 'Person A'/'Person B' when describing processes in telecommunications; in cryptography Eve (the eavesdropper) is also added. - J. Random X (e.g., J. Random HackerJ. Random HackerIn computer slang, J. Random Hacker is an arbitrary programmer ."J. Random Hacker" is a popular placeholder name in a number of books and articles in programming. J. Random Hacker even authored a book about ease of malicious hacking, Adventures of a Wi-Fi Pirate. Also, J. Random Hacker was a main...
, J. Random User) is a term used in computer jargon for a randomly selected member of a set, such as the set of all users. Sometimes used as J. Random Troll for any not-very-computer-literate user.
Legal
- John DoeJohn DoeThe name "John Doe" is used as a placeholder name in a legal action, case or discussion for a male party, whose true identity is unknown or must be withheld for legal reasons. The name is also used to refer to a male corpse or hospital patient whose identity is unknown...
and the variations Jane Doe (for females) and John Roe (for a second party) are used in legal action and cases when the true identity of a person is unknown or must be withheld for legal reasons. "Jane Roe" was used for the then-unidentified plaintiff (Norma Leah McCorveyNorma McCorveyNorma Leah McCorvey , better known by the legal pseudonym "Jane Roe", was the plaintiff in the landmark American lawsuit Roe v. Wade in 1973. The U.S. Supreme Court overturned individual states' laws against abortion by ruling them unconstitutional...
) in one of the most famous legal cases in United States history, Roe v. WadeRoe v. WadeRoe v. Wade, , was a controversial landmark decision by the United States Supreme Court on the issue of abortion. The Court decided that a right to privacy under the due process clause in the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution extends to a woman's decision to have an abortion,...
. - MoperyMoperyMopery is a vague, informal, and usually humorous name for minor offenses. The word is based on the verb to mope, which originally meant “to wander aimlessly”; it only later acquired the overtones of “bored and depressed”...
is used in informal legal discussions as a placeholder for some infraction, when the exact nature of the infraction is not important. - BlackacreBlackacreBlackacre, Whiteacre, Greenacre, Brownacre, and variations are the placeholder names used for fictitious estates in land.The names are used by professors of law in common law jurisdictions, particularly in the area of real property and occasionally in contracts, to discuss the rights of various...
and its neighbors Whiteacre, Greenacre, Brownacre, Greyacre, Pinkacre, etc. are used as placeholders for parcels of real property, usually on Law School examinations and the several State Bar Exams. They are located in Acre County in the fictional State of Franklin.
People
Placeholder expressions can refer to people as well. Among words or phrases used in English to refer to people of unknown or irrelevant name are:- Tom, Dick and HarryTom, Dick and HarryThe phrase "Tom, Dick and Harry" is a placeholder for multiple unspecified people; "Tom, Dick or Harry" plays the same role for one unspecified person. The phrase most commonly occurs as "every Tom, Dick and Harry", meaning everyone, and "any Tom, Dick or Harry", meaning anyone, although Brewer...
, for a series of three specific unnamed (usually male) people; or for any number of unknown people, usually with the term "every", for example: "Every Tom, Dick and Harry showed up to the party". Harriet may sometimes be substituted for Harry for a more gender-balanced version of the phrase, or Sally may be added, as in the TV series 3rd Rock from the Sun3rd Rock from the Sun3rd Rock from the Sun is an American sitcom that aired from 1996 to 2001 on NBC. The show is about four extraterrestrials who are on an expedition to Earth, which they consider to be a very insignificant planet...
. Originated in the Early Modern period of literature as Rafe, Robin, and Dick, who were often used as characters in playsGallatheaGallathea is an Elizabethan era stage play, a comedy by John Lyly. It is unusual among Lyly's plays in that it has a record of modern productions.-Early history:...
. - Uncle Tom Cobbleigh and all: another placeholder phrase, in this case used to indicate a long list of people.
- So-and-so; also often used as a euphemism for a stronger, possibly vulgar, epithet, for example, "that stupid so-and-so!"
- Buddy (Newfoundland English), any male of unknown identity, often used in conjunction with "Whasisname".
- Joe Bloggs (British male, referring to anyone of unknown identity)
- Fred Bloggs (British male, referring to a subsequent unknown person)
- Bob Soap (alternative of Joe Bloggs)
- Charlie Farnsbarns (similar to Joe Bloggs)
- Fred Nerks or Fred Nerk or just Fred (as in "Fred, you can't turn right here" (Australian equivalent of Joe Bloggs))
- John Q. PublicJohn Q. PublicJohn Q. Public is a generic name in the United States to denote a hypothetical member of society deemed a "common man." He is presumed to represent the randomly selected "man on the street."...
(American English for the public-at-large) - John Q. Law or Johnny Law (American English for any law enforcement officer)
- Joe Public (British English): an average person in the street
- A. N. OtherA. N. OtherA. N. Other is either a placeholder name or a pseudonym used by a person wishing to remain anonymous, the former being more commonly encountered. It is most used in the United Kingdom, and as such is often written in the common British English style as AN Other without punctuation or spacing...
(usually British English): unspecified person on a list, often abbreviated to ANO - Joe Blow (North America): average male person
- Joe Sixpack (North America): average cheap-beer-drinking worker, slightly derogatory
- Joe Bunda (similar to Joe Sixpack but specific to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; also in Pittsburgh: Joe Matahratz and Joe Bagadonutz. Joe Bagadonutz is a particular favorite of Chicago TribuneChicago TribuneThe Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
columnist John KassJohn KassJohn Kass is a Chicago Tribune columnist.The son of a Greek immigrant grocer, Kass was born June 25, 1956, on the South Side of Chicago and grew up there and in Oak Lawn, IL. He held many jobs - retailer, ditch digger, waiter - before becoming a student of film at Columbia College in Chicago...
. Joe Bunda is also used at the United States Naval AcademyUnited States Naval AcademyThe United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
.) - Joe ShmoeJoe ShmoeJoe Shmoe is one of the most commonly used fictional names in American English. It is used to identify the typical, everyday person who does not have any special status, frequently in contrast to some group...
(North America): average male person - John (British English, colloquial term for male of unknown identity, also North American term for client of prostituteProstitutionProstitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
). - John DoeJohn DoeThe name "John Doe" is used as a placeholder name in a legal action, case or discussion for a male party, whose true identity is unknown or must be withheld for legal reasons. The name is also used to refer to a male corpse or hospital patient whose identity is unknown...
/Jane Doe, originally a term in law, has expanded in North America to be used colloquially for any person or for a hypothetical average person. It is also used in police work to refer to an unidentified corpse. - The Joneses (used as a placeholder for the typical average family, often one perceived to have higher social status or aspirations: Keeping up with the Joneses)
- Mrs Kafoops (Australian, slightly derogatory)
- Dat fella (Malaysian/Singaporean for "that fellow")
- Old mate (Australian; man, stranger or person)
- Yer man (Irish male)
- Yer wan (Irish female. Unlike the male form, sometimes used to connote contempt)
- Joe Soap (Irish English, refers to any typical person)
- Himself/Herself (Irish male/female)
- Lord/Lady Muck (Male/Female who is acting as if others are their servants)
- Frick and FrackFrick and FrackFrick and Frack were two Swiss skaters who came to the U.S. in 1937 and joined the original Ice Follies show as comedy ice skaters. "Frick" was Werner Groebli , born in Basel. "Frack" was Hansruedi Mauch, , also born in Basel...
(Indistinguishable Male pair) - Tweedledum and TweedledeeTweedledum and TweedledeeTweedledum and Tweedledee are fictional characters in an English language nursery rhyme and in Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There. Their names may have originally come from an epigram written by poet John Byrom. The nursery rhyme has a Roud Folk Song Index number...
(Indistinguishable Male pair, slightly derogatory) - Grandma/Grandpa (a usually older adult lacking technical knowledge)
- PVT Snuffy, AMN Snuffy, Joe Snuffy (US military, referring to any general soldier or low-ranking individual)
- PVT, PFC or LCpl Schmuckatelli (Marine Corps, referring to any general low-ranking enlisted Marine)
- Joe Gish (U.S. Naval Academy for any MidshipmanMidshipmanA midshipman is an officer cadet, or a commissioned officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Kenya...
; his roommate is W.T. Door) - Kadoogan (One example of 'kadigan' being used as a placeholder is in the Ren and Stimpy ShowThe Ren and Stimpy ShowThe Ren & Stimpy Show, often simply referred to as Ren & Stimpy, is an American animated television series, created by Canadian animator John Kricfalusi for Nickelodeon. The series focuses on the titular characters: Ren Höek, a psychotic chihuahua, and Stimpson J. Cat, a good-natured, dimwitted cat...
where Stimpy's last name is given as Kadoogan, a reference to the term kadigan.) - "Wendy Wellesley" is used as "Jane Doe" at Wellesley College
- EmmetEmmet (Cornish)Emmet is a pejorative nickname that some Cornish people use to refer to the many tourists who visit Cornwall.-Etymology:It is commonly thought to be derived from the Cornish-language word for ant, being an analogy to the way in which both tourists and ants are often red in colour and appear to mill...
and Grockle are mildly abusive yet affectionate West Country terms for tourists. "Emmet" is a dialect word for "ant". - Matey is a West Country term for a person with whom one has an anticipated, temporary or intermittent personalised interaction restricted to specific requirements or actions, e.g. "We'd got as far as the OkehamptonOkehamptonOkehampton is a town and civil parish in West Devon in the English county of Devon. It is situated at the northern edge of Dartmoor, and has an estimated population of 7,155.-History:...
Bypass when we stopped to give Matey there a jump-startJump start (vehicle)A jump start, also called a boost, is a method of starting an automobile or other vehicle powered by an internal combustion engine when the vehicle's battery has been discharged. A second battery is temporarily connected to provide starting power to the disabled vehicle...
". - Unsub (USA police usage): unnamed person, an unknown subject of an investigation
- Vic (USA police usage): unnamed person who is a crime victim
- Fnu Lnu is used by authorities to identify unknown suspects, the name being an acronymAcronym and initialismAcronyms and initialisms are abbreviations formed from the initial components in a phrase or a word. These components may be individual letters or parts of words . There is no universal agreement on the precise definition of the various terms , nor on written usage...
for First Name Unknown, Last Name Unknown. If a person's first name is known but not the last, they may be called "John Lnu" or "Fnu Doe", and an unidentified person may be "Fnu Lnu". For example, a former interpreter for the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
militaryArmed forcesThe armed forces of a country are its government-sponsored defense, fighting forces, and organizations. They exist to further the foreign and domestic policies of their governing body, and to defend that body and the nation it represents from external aggressors. In some countries paramilitary...
was charged as "FNU LNU", and a muteMutenessMuteness or mutism is an inability to speak caused by a speech disorder. The term originates from the Latin word mutus, meaning "silent".-Causes:...
man whose identity could not be determined was arrested and charged with burglary in Harris County, TexasHarris County, TexasAs of the 2010 Census, the population of the county was 4,092,459, White Americans made up 56.6% of Harris County's population; non-Hispanic whites represented 33.0% of the population. Black Americans made up 18.9% of the population. Native Americans made up 0.7% of Harris County's population...
under the name "FNU-LNU" (charges were later dropped because authorities could not communicate with the man). Fnu-Lnu conjunctions may also be used if the person has only a single name, as in Indonesian names. The name has been considered a source of humor when "Fnu Lnu" has been mistaken for the actual name of a person. - PC/DC 0000Collar numberA collar number, also known as a shoulder number, Force Identification Number or occasionally as Force Number , identifies uniformed officers, Police Community Support Officers , and some police staff in UK police forces. Although now displayed on epaulettes A collar number, also known as a...
Robert PeelRobert PeelSir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet was a British Conservative statesman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 10 December 1834 to 8 April 1835, and again from 30 August 1841 to 29 June 1846...
is a placename that is used for giving mock information about a police officer. Robert Peel is chosen due to origins of the British policing. 0000 (or AA 000 for the MetMetropolitan policeMetropolitan Police is a generic title for the municipal police force for a major metropolitan area, and it may be part of the official title of the force...
) is used, as no collar numberCollar numberA collar number, also known as a shoulder number, Force Identification Number or occasionally as Force Number , identifies uniformed officers, Police Community Support Officers , and some police staff in UK police forces. Although now displayed on epaulettes A collar number, also known as a...
can be four zeros. - David Cohen used in Victorian times to refer to a Jewish immigrant who either could not be positively identified or whose name was too difficult for police to spell, in the same fashion that John Doe is used in the United States today
Certain fixed expressions are used as placeholder names in a number of specialized contexts. People sometimes speak of Old So-and-so or What's-'is-name or What's-'is-face (cruder) or Miss Thing (popular in the Southern US states, where it refers to a female who thinks herself better than other people, and often pronounced Miss Thang). Tommy Atkins
Tommy Atkins
Tommy Atkins is a term for a common soldier in the British Army that was already well established in the 19th century, but is particularly associated with World War I. It can be used as a term of reference, or as a form of address. German soldiers would call out to "Tommy" across no man's land if...
is a mythical Briton who filled out all his forms correctly, and as such lent his name to British soldiers generally; his Canadian counterpart is "Corporal (or some other rank) Bloggins". John Smith
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
, often from "Anytown, U.S.A". and John Q. Public
John Q. Public
John Q. Public is a generic name in the United States to denote a hypothetical member of society deemed a "common man." He is presumed to represent the randomly selected "man on the street."...
are also used as placeholder names, for unnamed citizens and similarly in Britain, one might refer to Joe Bloggs. "Joe Random" or "Joe Average" are also referred to, sometimes more specifically as "Joe Average Voter" or "Joe Random Customer". In Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, the name John Citizen is used in a similar capacity on samples of forms or cards. In America, Joe or Jane Sixpack
John Q. Public
John Q. Public is a generic name in the United States to denote a hypothetical member of society deemed a "common man." He is presumed to represent the randomly selected "man on the street."...
refers to the perceived average middle
Middle class
The middle class is any class of people in the middle of a societal hierarchy. In Weberian socio-economic terms, the middle class is the broad group of people in contemporary society who fall socio-economically between the working class and upper class....
or working class
Working class
Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
person. In theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
, television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
and motion pictures
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, the great actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
s Walter Plinge
Walter Plinge
Walter Plinge is a pseudonym, traditionally used in London theatres when a part has not been cast, an actor is playing two parts, or an actor does not want his or her name in the programme...
, David Agnew
David Agnew
"David Agnew" was a particular kind of pen name, employed exclusively on BBC television drama programmes of the 1970s. It was used only as a scriptwriting credit.-Conditions of use:...
, and George Spelvin
George Spelvin
George Spelvin, Georgette Spelvin, and Georgina Spelvin are the traditional pseudonyms used in programs in American theater. The reasons for the use of an alternate name vary. Actors who do not want to be credited, or whose names would otherwise appear twice because they are playing more than one...
are pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
s used for cast members who prefer to go unnamed. The name Alan Smithee
Alan Smithee
Alan Smithee was an official pseudonym used by film directors who wish to disown a project, coined in 1968. Until its use was formally discontinued in 2000, it was the sole pseudonym used by members of the Directors Guild of America when a director dissatisfied with the final product proved to...
is similarly used by film directors who wish to remain pseudonymous (often because their film did not turn out well). Conversely, placeholders can be used to conceal identity, as seen in the above Gilbert and Sullivan lyrics. The Newfoundland entertainer "Buddy Whasisname" derives his stage name from a common local usage (combining two terms) describing an unknown male.
Movies and theatre also give rise to another specific type of placeholder, the MacGuffin
MacGuffin
A MacGuffin is "a plot element that catches the viewers' attention or drives the plot of a work of fiction". The defining aspect of a MacGuffin is that the major players in the story are willing to do and sacrifice almost anything to obtain it, regardless of what the MacGuffin actually is...
. This is any object or person used to drive a plot or as the goal of a quest
Quest
In mythology and literature, a quest, a journey towards a goal, serves as a plot device and as a symbol. Quests appear in the folklore of every nation and also figure prominently in non-national cultures. In literature, the objects of quests require great exertion on the part of the hero, and...
, 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. A foozle is a generic enemy or group of enemies that must be defeated for the plot to move on in a game. Scriptwriters for science fiction productions such as 'Star Trek
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
' often use the word "TECH" as a placeholder which the show's technical adviser can later replace with some plausible-sounding detail (e.g., a type of radiation or particles).
Cryptographers conventionally use a fixed cast of characters when describing their systems in general terms. For example, the quintessential cryptographic system has Alice wanting to send a message to Bob without Eve being able to eavesdrop on them. These names are even used in formal, peer-reviewed papers in the field, see Alice and Bob
Alice and Bob
The names Alice and Bob are commonly used placeholder names for archetypal characters in fields such as cryptography and physics. The names are used for convenience; for example, "Alice sends a message to Bob encrypted with his public key" is easier to follow than "Party A sends a message to Party...
.
Forms of address
Some placeholders are used in second-person to address another, usually—but not always—because the second party's name is unknown.Sir or Madam/Ma'am. In English-speaking society
Anglosphere
Anglosphere is a neologism which refers to those nations with English as the most common language. The term can be used more specifically to refer to those nations which share certain characteristics within their cultures based on a linguistic heritage, through being former British colonies...
, the most universally accepted forms of address to another person, known or unknown, and regardless of station, are "Sir" (to men) and "Madam", sometimes shortened to "Ma'am", (to women). "Sir" and "Madam/Ma'am", for example, are considered acceptable forms of address for most of the world's heads of state
Head of State
A head of state is the individual that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchy, republic, federation, commonwealth or other kind of state. His or her role generally includes legitimizing the state and exercising the political powers, functions, and duties granted to the head of...
, including royalty.
Friend. "Friend", or other synonyms of amity, may be used in its literal sense, but is often used ironically to indicate displeasure or hostility. May also be used between strangers in a non-ironic manner. Used especially among Quakers
Religious Society of Friends
The Religious Society of Friends, or Friends Church, is a Christian movement which stresses the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. Members are known as Friends, or popularly as Quakers. It is made of independent organisations, which have split from one another due to doctrinal differences...
, the Society of Friends.
Terms of endearment
Term of endearment
A term of endearment is a word or phrase used to address and/or describe a person, animal or inanimate object for which the speaker feels love or affection...
. Words such as "honey" or "sweetie" are generally perceived as affectionate between friends, family or intimates. Outside this group, or in more formal or professional settings, the use of these words becomes more problematic. Their use by a person to a member of the opposite sex may be seen as forward or presumptuous, or even patronizing and demeaning (especially when used by a man to a woman). When used by a woman to address another woman, the sense may be friendly or hostile (see Friend, above); when used by a man to another man, it is generally perceived to have homosexual overtones (i.e., suggesting that either the speaker or the addressee—or both—is homosexual).
Second-person placeholder names include:
- Amigo (Spanish for "friend"); occasionally used by non-Hispanics when calling out to an unknown Hispanic male (though might be considered rude or offensive)
- Angel
- Baby or
- Babe
- Battle Often used by U.S. troops, especially US Army Soldiers, to call to one another, based on the Army's term 'Battle-Buddy'.
- Big Boy or Big Guy or Big Man
- Bird (UK, woman, usually young; cf. chick). Also My Bird : a traditional CornishCornwallCornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
term of endearment from an older female to a younger one. - Bloke (Man, British English)
- Boo, (urban slang) significant other
- Boss (East London)
- Boyo
- Brah (Variant of 'bro')
- Bredren (Jamaican slangJamaican EnglishJamaican English or Jamaican Standard English is a dialect of English spoken in Jamaica. It melds parts of both American English and British English dialects, along with many aspects of Irish intonation...
or Rastafarian vocabularyRastafarian vocabularyIyaric, Livalect or Dread-talk is a created dialect of English in use among members of the Rastafari movement. African languages were lost among Africans when they were taken into captivity as part of the slave trade, and adherents of Rastafari teachings believe that English is an imposed colonial...
, derived from "Brethren") - Bro
- Brony
- Broski
- Brother:
- a "close male friend"
- a male person "engaged in the same movement"
- slang form of address meaning "fellow" or "buddy", as in "Brother, can you spare a dime?"
- one blackBlack peopleThe term black people is used in systems of racial classification for humans of a dark skinned phenotype, relative to other racial groups.Different societies apply different criteria regarding who is classified as "black", and often social variables such as class, socio-economic status also plays a...
male to another - one MuslimMuslimA Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
male to another - a normal form of address for a members of various fraternal or monastic groups
- Buddy or Bud ("Buddy" is especially common in Newfoundland English)
- B'y: Newfoundland pronunciation of "Boy", used as a general form of address primarily to a male but now increasingly to females. It does not hold any of the derogatory meaning that the term "Boy" does in standard English, especially when directed at minorities
- Chick (woman, usually young). Sometimes perceived as disrespectful of women.
- Chief (for a person in authority)
- Chum or Chummie/Chummy - the latter being also an insider term often used by UK Police to refer to an as-yet unidentified suspect.
- Cobber
- Cuz (Australian Aboriginal English, derived from 'cousin', also archaically in British English).
- Darling
- Dear or Dearie
- Dog or Dawg
- Doll or Dolly
- Dude (man or woman; also a general exclamation)
- Dudette. Sometimes used as the female version of dude.
- Duck, Ducks, Ducky or my Duck
- Fella (UK + Australian, man, stranger or person)
- Old mate (Australian; man, stranger or person)
- Friend
- G (abbreviation for "gangster", often used ironically)
- Gaffer (British English): a foreman, or sometimes an older male, especially a grandfather
- Gangsta or Gangster
- Geezer (Man, British English; in American English, an irreverent term for an older man)
- Gildong Hong a fictitious character in an old Korean novel, Tale of Hong Gildong
- Grandma, Gram, or Granny, an address to an older woman. Can be disrespectful.
- Grandpa, Grampa, or Gramps: an older man; may denote disrespect.
- Guv or Guvnor (UK, man) - usually one's boss or senior.
- Guy or Guys (to a man, although the term "guys" could be used to refer to any group of people without regard to gender)
- Hen (to a woman) Central Scotland
- Homeboy or Homey or Homes (may be used as a term or endearment between male friends, or aggressively by strangers or enemies)
- Honey or Hon
- Jack (man), generally in an unfriendly sense
- Jim or Jimmy (man), Scottish, sometimes in an unfriendly sense (as made popular in the UK by Russ Abbott's Glasgow street character "See You Jimmy !")
- Kid
- Lad or Lass
- Lady (woman)
- Little one
- Little man
- Love (UK)
- Ma'am, Madam, or Madame (woman)
- Mac (man)
- Maid, (Newfoundland English and West CountryWest CountryThe West Country is an informal term for the area of south western England roughly corresponding to the modern South West England government region. It is often defined to encompass the historic counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset and the City of Bristol, while the counties of...
) a woman, or a young unmarried girl or daughter - Man (to a man) It may also be used as an interjection, not addressed to anyone in particular, in which case it is not truly a placeholder ("Aw, man!").
- Mate (Australia/UK, man)
- My Lover (Southwestern UK)
- Miss, generally addressed to a young woman or girl. In some dialects, it is a form of address for a female teacher, regardless of her marital status.
- Missus, Newfoundland English term of respect or affection for a mature woman. Also in British EnglishBritish EnglishBritish English, or English , is the broad term used to distinguish the forms of the English language used in the United Kingdom from forms used elsewhere...
, a term of affectionate reference to one's wife/female partner/steady girlfriend. - Neighbour
- NiggaNiggaNigga is a term used in African American Vernacular English that began as an eye dialect form of the word nigger .- Use in language :In practice, its use and meaning are...
, (African American Vernacular EnglishAfrican American Vernacular EnglishAfrican American Vernacular English —also called African American English; less precisely Black English, Black Vernacular, Black English Vernacular , or Black Vernacular English —is an African American variety of American English...
) though it has been known to be used between black peopleBlack peopleThe term black people is used in systems of racial classification for humans of a dark skinned phenotype, relative to other racial groups.Different societies apply different criteria regarding who is classified as "black", and often social variables such as class, socio-economic status also plays a...
as a term of endearment, there is a controversy associated with its usage as it is an eye dialectEye dialectEye dialect is the use of non-standard spelling for speech to draw attention to pronunciation. The term was originally coined by George P. Krapp to refer to the literary technique of using non-standard spelling that implies a pronunciation of the given word that is actually standard, such as...
of a racial slurNiggerNigger is a noun in the English language, most notable for its usage in a pejorative context to refer to black people , and also as an informal slang term, among other contexts. It is a common ethnic slur...
, and an ongoing debate as to whether or not there is any meaningful difference between the two terms. - Old girl (British English): Wife or partner
- Old man (British English): Husband or partner
- Oppo (uk): typically a term used to describe a colleague, mostly in male-dominated environments e.g. the military, construction, industry.
- Pal or Pally (originally British RomanyRomanyRomany relates or may refer to:*The Romani people, also known as Gypsies*Romani language or Romany language, the language of the Romani people*"Romany", the pseudonym of a broadcaster and writer of Romani descent, George Bramwell Evens...
) - Padre, from the Spanish word for "father", a placeholder in military use for any man of the cloth, regardless of denomination
- Pop or Pops, often a disrespectful term for an older man or a term of endearment for a grandfather
- Poppet, a term of affection for a small child or sweetheart
- Shorty, (urban slang) an attractive female. It can also be addressed to someone younger than the addressee or to a colleague that is new or inexperienced in the same field as the addressee (i.e.: a rookie, a new rapper)
- Sister:
- one black person to a black woman
- one Muslim woman to another
- term of reference for a woman in religious orders
- Sis, shortened version of sister
- Skipper, Newfoundland English term of respect or affection for a mature man
- Son: generally used by an older man to one at least a generation younger; or by a man who, by virtue of rank or position, has charge or authority over the other, such as a drill sergeant over a private soldier. In the latter instance, it may be in a hostile context: "Son, you'd best move your ass before you find my foot up it!"
- Sonny or Sonny boy: also generally used by an older man to one at least a generation younger; there would be a degree of hostility: "Listen to me, Sonny boy "...
- Sport or Sporto, from the term "good sport" referring to someone who can take a joke or someone who exhibits polite behavior even or especially when things go wrong.
- Sugar: often used in the southeastern U.S. as a means of referring to another with affection. Most often used by women.
- Sunshine
- Sweetheart or Sweetie
Places
In some forms of English, placeholder names exist to represent locations, particularly the stereotypical backward, insignificant or isolated town in the middle of nowhere. These include:- Anytown, USA and Dullsville in the USA.
- Auchterturra in Scotland, and Glenboggin, which has its own official website.
- Back of Burke in Australia (unspecified remote place -- since many places are named after the explorer Robert O'Hara BurkeRobert O'Hara BurkeRobert O'Hara Burke was an Irish soldier and police officer, who achieved fame as an Australian explorer. He was the leader of the ill-fated Burke and Wills expedition, which was the first expedition to cross Australia from south to north, finding a route across the continent from the settled...
) - Bally-Go-Backwards in Ireland (unspecified remote small country town).
- Black Stump or also Albuquerque in Australia and New Zealand ("beyond the black stump" indicates an extremely remote location).
- Up the Boohai (approximately "boo-eye") in New Zealand, occasionally given as, Up the Boohai hunting pukekosPukeko (Porphyrio melanotus)Pūkeko is the common name, derived from the Māori language, for the Purple Swamphen in New Zealand. The subspecies occurring there is Porphyrio porphyrio melanotus, which is also found elsewhere in Australasia, including, in eastern Indonesia, the Mollucas, Aru and Kai Islands, as well as in...
with a long handled shovel. The Boohai is a fictitious river. It is used to indicate that the answerer does not wish to respond to any question involving "where?". Up the Boohai can also indicate that plans are apparently ruined or an item is extremely non-functional. - The Boondocks (or the Boonies).
- BFE or Bumblefuck, Egypt (also Bumfuck, Egypt, Butt Fuck, Egypt, or Beyond Fucking Egypt) refers to an unspecified remote location or destination, assumed to be arduous to travel to, unpleasant to visit and/or far away from anything of interest to the speaker (e.g. "Man, you parked way the hell out in BFE"). In Southeastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey, this is often referred to as Japip or East Jabip/Jabib. In the Chicago metropolitan area, the term was coined to refer to the region in downstate Illinois known as "Little EgyptLittle Egypt (region)-Early history:The earliest inhabitants of Illinois were thought to have arrived about 12,000 B.C. They were hunter-gatherers, but developed a primitive system of agriculture. After 1000 AD, their agricultural surpluses enabled them to develop complex, hierarchical societies...
", centered in Cairo, IllinoisCairo, IllinoisCairo is the southernmost city in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is the county seat of Alexander County. Cairo is located at the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers. The rivers converge at Fort Defiance State Park, an American Civil War fort that was commanded by General Ulysses S. Grant...
, for being the furthest from the urban center in both distance and way of life. Bumfuck is also military slangMilitary slangMilitary slang is an array of colloquial terminology used commonly by military personnel, including slang which is unique to or originates with the armed forces. It often takes the form of abbreviations/acronyms or derivations of the NATO Phonetic Alphabet, or otherwise incorporates aspects of...
for a remote, hard to get to military baseMilitary baseA military base is a facility directly owned and operated by or for the military or one of its branches that shelters military equipment and personnel, and facilitates training and operations. In general, a military base provides accommodations for one or more units, but it may also be used as a...
. Has been also rendered as Bumfuck, Iowa or Bumfuck, Wyoming or Bumfuck, Idaho. Bumblefuck, Missouri was popularized by the 1988 movie Rain ManRain ManRain Man is a 1988 drama film written by Barry Morrow and Ronald Bass and directed by Barry Levinson. It tells the story of an abrasive and selfish yuppie, Charlie Babbitt, who discovers that his estranged father has died and bequeathed all of his multimillion-dollar estate to his other son,...
. - Buttcrack or Upper Buttcrack (usually a New EnglandNew EnglandNew England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
state). - Crackerland and Jerkwater (from the 1982 film First BloodFirst BloodFirst Blood is a 1982 action thriller film directed by Ted Kotcheff. The film stars Sylvester Stallone as John Rambo, a troubled and misunderstood Vietnam War veteran, with Sheriff Will Teasle as his nemesis and Colonel Samuel Trautman as his former commander and only ally...
, small hometowns of typical US Army recruits). - East Cupcake.
- East Jabib refers to an obscure location far across town.
- East Jesus.
- Four-Fifths of Fuck-All.
- Dog River, Armpit, or Moose Fuck in Canada.
- Hickville is used to describe a small farming town. (HickYokelYokel is a derogatory term referring to the stereotype of unsophisticated country people.-Stereotype:In the US, it is used to describe someone living in rural areas...
comes from hillbillyHillbillyHillbilly is a term referring to certain people who dwell in rural, mountainous areas of the United States, primarily Appalachia but also the Ozarks. Owing to its strongly stereotypical connotations, the term is frequently considered derogatory, and so is usually offensive to those Americans of...
.) - Loamshire for a rural county in England (and the LoamshiresLoamshire RegimentLoamshire Regiment is a placeholder name used by the British Army to provide examples for its procedures. For example, the Loamshire Regiment is provided by the British Forces Post Office to show how to write a British Army address, and is used to set out specimen charges for violations of military...
for a regimentRegimentA regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
based in that county). - Outer MongoliaOuter MongoliaOuter Mongolia was a territory of the Qing Dynasty = the Manchu Empire. Its area was roughly equivalent to that of the modern state of Mongolia, which is sometimes informally called "Outer Mongolia" today...
used to represent a far and distant land relatively unknown to the average person; also rendered as the imaginary country of Outer Congolia - PeoriaPeoria-United States:* Peoria, Arizona** Peoria Unified School District**Peoria Sports Complex**Peoria High School* Peoria, Illinois** Peoria County, Illinois** Roman Catholic Diocese of Peoria* Peoria, Franklin County, Indiana* Peoria, Miami County, Indiana...
refers to provincial mainstream cities or towns in the US; typically used in expressions like "Will it play in Peoria?Will it play in Peoria?The saying, "Will it play in Peoria?" is traditionally used to ask whether a given product, person, promotional theme, or event will appeal to mainstream America, or across a broad range of demographic and psychographic groups....
" - PodunkPodunkIn American English, Podunk, podunk, or Podunk Hollow denotes or describes a place of small size or "in the middle of nowhere", and is often used in the upper case as a placeholder name in a context of dismissing significance or importance....
in the USA. - Sainte-Clotilde-de-Rubber-Boot in Quebec, Canada.
- The Sticks refers to a remote rural location (UK)
- TimbuktuTimbuktuTimbuktu , formerly also spelled Timbuctoo, is a town in the West African nation of Mali situated north of the River Niger on the southern edge of the Sahara Desert. The town is the capital of the Timbuktu Region, one of the eight administrative regions of Mali...
is often used to refer to an unspecified but remote place. Sometimes exaggerated as timbuckthree, timbucktwelve, etc. to indicate further removed than timbuktu. - Tipperary can still be used to denote anywhere that is "a long way from home".
- TweebuffelsmeteenskootmorsdoodgeskietfonteinTweebuffelsmeteenskootmorsdoodgeskietfonteinTweebuffelsmeteenskootmorsdoodgeskietfontein is a farm in the North West province of South Africa, located about 200 km west of Pretoria and 20 km east of Lichtenburg whose 44-character name has entered South African folklore in much the same way that...
used to refer to a typical South African small rural town. - Ultima Thule can mean "beyond the borders of the known world" or a far-north island.
- Upper Rubber Boot in Ontario, Canada.
- Woop WoopAustralian English vocabularyMany works giving an overview of Australian English have been published; many of these are humour books designed for tourists or as novelties.One of the first was Karl Lentzner's Dictionary of the Slang-English of Australia and of Some Mixed Languages in 1892. The first dictionary based on...
, Upper Woop Woop, Oodnawoopwoop, or Wopwops in Australia and New Zealand (often "out Woop Woop" as in, "they live out Woop Woop somewhere", and used when referring to people who live in a country area unfamiliar to the speaker). - WaikikamukauWaikikamukauWaikikamukau, Why-key-car-moo-koh, , is any small rural town or locality in New Zealand. New Zealanders use the name as a placeholder name for "any town" or to denote a particularly remote rural town. It has a similar connotation as the term wop-wops, or for other English speakers Timbuktu, or BFE...
in New Zealand.
Other place names include:
- BlackacreBlackacreBlackacre, Whiteacre, Greenacre, Brownacre, and variations are the placeholder names used for fictitious estates in land.The names are used by professors of law in common law jurisdictions, particularly in the area of real property and occasionally in contracts, to discuss the rights of various...
, Whiteacre, and Greenacre are widely used in law courses to represent hypothetical pieces of real property of which hypothetical people may be seized. - Joe's DinerJoe's Diner (placeholder name)Joe's Diner is a placeholder name for a fictional or hypothetical everyman's restaurant. Although there are franchises that use the name, its rhetorical use is often to describe a small, local business contrasted against large businesses or franchises...
is used to refer to a typical restaurant run as a small business.
Common components of placeholders for places are -town, -ville, -hampton (in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
), -vale, Big-, Mid-, Middle-, Little-, Small-, Bally- (in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
), and Any-. The National Health Service
National Health Service
The National Health Service is the shared name of three of the four publicly funded healthcare systems in the United Kingdom. They provide a comprehensive range of health services, the vast majority of which are free at the point of use to residents of the United Kingdom...
of the UK, as well as the Department for Transport
Department for Transport
In the United Kingdom, the Department for Transport is the government department responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland which are not devolved...
, use a large variety of placeholders as examples, including:
- Axtley
- Port Lever
- Lampton
- Middlehampton
- Anyshire
- Eastern Vale
- St Elsewhere's
Dates and times
- "Eleventh Hour" describes an indeterminate time just prior to a deadline. As in "It got done at the eleventh hour, but thankfully the client suspected nothing".
- Composite names such as "Septober" (September and October), and "Decemuary" (December and January) are sometimes used to refer to an indeterminate month.
- Nonexistent days, such as February 31 or the 12th of Never (usually given as the intended date of occurrence for something that will never happen, as in the popular song The Twelfth of NeverThe Twelfth of Never"The Twelfth of Never" is a popular song recorded by Johnny Mathis and later by artists including Cliff Richard and Donny Osmond. The song's title comes from the popular expression "the 12th of Never," which is used as the date of a future occurrence that will never come to pass...
). - In the same vein, in ancient Roman culture, "on the Greek KalendsKalendsThe Calends , correspond to the first days of each month of the Roman calendar. The Romans assigned these calends to the first day of the month, signifying the start of the new moon cycle...
" referred to never. (The Greeks did not, as the Romans did, refer to the first of the month as "Kalends".) - Nonexistent times, such as 13 o'clock, oft|Timbucktoo|Timbucktooen used to describe when something is going to start or finish, but meaning it's still a long way off.
- "Up at the Ass-Crack-o'-Dawn", a nonexistent time that refers to having been awoken extremely early, a phrase used predominantly throughout the southern region of North America.
- "(God's)-Ass-o'Clock", a nonexistent time that refers to the wee hours of very early morning. The word "God" may be omitted depending upon user's preference.
- "Oh-Christ-Hundred Hours", old military slang for very early morning.
- "Tib's Eve", named for the nonexistent Saint Tib, is a date which does not exist. (However, in the Discordian calendar, St. Tib's Day does in fact occur as a leap day, and therefore the day before it may be an actual St. Tib's Eve.)
- "Two hairs past a freckle", (or "a freckle past a hair") said when one is asked the time but despite making the habitual gesture, is not wearing a watch. Is sometimes extended to "A hair past a freckle, going on a mole".
- * Also "Skin o' clock" or "Half-past my elbow" or "A mole past a hair on my arm".
- "God-thirty in the morning", "holy mackerel o'clock", "silly o'clock", "half-past bastard", "butt crack of dawn", "chicken o'clock" referring to a time very early in the morning
- "Oh-dark thirty", "Oh-dark hundred", or "Zero Dark and Stupid" also referring to some time early in the morning (before the sun rises); usage is derived from military parlance, where 4:00 a.m. is referred to as "zero-four-hundred"
- "Dark plus thirty" meaning (loosely) just after sunsetSunsetSunset or sundown is the daily disappearance of the Sun below the horizon in the west as a result of Earth's rotation.The time of sunset is defined in astronomy as the moment the trailing edge of the Sun's disk disappears below the horizon in the west...
in Rainbow GatheringRainbow GatheringRainbow Gatherings are temporary intentional communities, typically held in outdoor settings, and espousing and practicing ideals of peace, love, harmony, freedom and community, as a consciously expressed alternative to mainstream popular culture, consumerism, capitalism and mass media.Rainbow...
or DeadheadDeadheadDeadhead or Dead Head is a name given to fans of the American jam band, the Grateful Dead. In the 1970s, a number of fans began travelling to see the band in as many shows or festival venues as they could. With large numbers of people thus attending strings of shows, a community developed...
(or other festival) vernacular, meaning or thirty minutes after sundown, or more humorously, in at some indeterminate time after dark, Rainbow Gatherings tending not to happen according to any sort of schedule. - Similarly, "(time), X Standard Time", where X is replaced by the name of any group noted for having difficulty starting events on a schedule.
- "Dark o' clock" may mean early or late.
- "Late-thirty" may mean late at night. Also "Late o' clock", or "Half past late".
- "Beer o'clock" or "Beer thirty" means it's time for the first beer in a beer-drinking session. Alternatively, beer thirty means an unspecified time during a long bout of drinking or thirty minutes until beer is no longer sold in stores, meaning that it is time for a beer run. Can also be used by bartenders to denote the time when the last drunks from the bar are driving home after closing time.
- "Pub O'Clock" also refers to drinking, but more specifically going to the pubPublic houseA public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
to drink. Also "Pint O'Clock". - "Yonks" is used in English to mean a long but indefinite duration; it is conjectured to derive either from "donkey's years" or from "years, months and weeks". This has been going on for donkey's yonks.
- "Half past a monkey's ass" or "Half past a monkey's ass and quarter till his balls" is used when one is asked the time but does not want to be bothered. Similarly: "Half past give-a-shit"
- "Sparrow's fart" (Australian): very early in the morning, e.g. "I have to get up at sparrow's fart!"
- "Half-past quarter to from" (stress on "from"). An unknown or non-existent time.
- "Stupid" may refer to any time considered far too early to be up, and may be intensified as "a quarter to stupid" or weakened as "half-past stupid" or "half stupid".
Religion
- Mumbo jumboMumbo Jumbo (phrase)Mumbo jumbo, or mumbo-jumbo, is an English phrase or expression that denotes a confusing or meaningless subject. It is often used as humorous expression of criticism of middle-management and civil service non-speak, and of belief in something considered non-existent by the speaker , or the rituals...
: rituals performed by a priest of a religion the that one does not believe in that are performed in a language that one is unfamiliar with. Can also be used about legal writing that a person does not understand or perceives as needlessly long-winded ("Legal mumbo jumbo")
Living things
- BugBugA bug is an insect of the order Hemiptera, known as the "true bugs".Bug or BUG may also refer to:-Biology:* Informally, most arthropods, except marine crustaceans, including individuals or species of** centipede** insect** millipede** mite...
: any indeterminate insectInsectInsects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
, arthropodArthropodAn arthropod is an invertebrate animal having an exoskeleton , a segmented body, and jointed appendages. Arthropods are members of the phylum Arthropoda , and include the insects, arachnids, crustaceans, and others...
, or germGermGerm may refer to:* Microorganism, especially a pathogen; see Germ theory of disease* Germ cell, an ovum or sperm, or one of its progenitors* The Germ , a periodical established by the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood to disseminate their ideas... - CritterCritterCritter may refer to:* A domesticated animal* An organism* A human* The mascot and call sign of ValuJet Airlines*Chinese Pangolin , one of the pets of the Raven FACs at their secret base in Long Tieng during the covert war in Laos...
: any indeterminate living thingLiving ThingLiving Thing is the fifth album by Peter Bjorn and John, released on March 30, 2009 in the UK and March 31 in the US. The lead-off single from this album is "Nothing to Worry About."-Reception:...
Objects
- black boxBlack boxA black box is a device, object, or system whose inner workings are unknown; only the input, transfer, and output are known characteristics.The term black box can also refer to:-In science and technology:*Black box theory, a philosophical theory...
, an indeterminate or yet-to-be-invented device, typically electronic - contraption, a large man-made machineMachineA machine manages power to accomplish a task, examples include, a mechanical system, a computing system, an electronic system, and a molecular machine. In common usage, the meaning is that of a device having parts that perform or assist in performing any type of work...
- dewgaw, an indeterminate piece of jewelry
- dhingamajig or thingumabobThe Thing-Ummy BobThe Thing-Ummy Bob is a 1942 song which was written by Gordon Thompson and David Heneker which celebrates the production line worker of World War II making components for complex weapons to win the war...
- doodad, used for indeterminate small man-made objects about the size of a cellular phone (may be electronic or not)
- doohickey
- gubbins
- oojamaflip
- thingy
- veeblefetzerVeeblefetzerVeeblefetzer is a word usually used facetiously as a placeholder name for any obscure or complicated object or mechanism, such as automobile parts, computer code and model railroad equipment....
, from a Yiddish word meaning "contraption" (In Mad magazine, a fictional company called "North American Veeblefetzer" was often used as a means to satirizeSatireSatire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
business practices.) - whatsit
- widgetWidget (economics)The word widget is a placeholder name for an object or, more specifically, a mechanical or other manufactured device. It is an abstract unit of production. The Oxford English Dictionary defines it as "An indefinite name for a gadget or mechanical contrivance, esp. a small manufactured item" and...
, referring to some theoretical object. It was originally most commonly used in describing the output of a hypothetical business; in computer technology, it refers to any arbitrary item that may be made to appear on the screen. - yoke
Astronomy and science fiction
- Little green manLittle green menLittle green men is the stereotypical portrayal of extraterrestrials as little humanoid-like creatures with green skin and sometimes with antennae on their heads. The term is also sometimes used to describe gremlins, mythical creatures known for causing problems in airplanes and mechanical devices...
: an unspecified extraterrestrial
Spoken language
- Cloud cuckoo landCloud cuckoo landCloud Cuckoo Land refers to an unrealistically idealistic state where everything is perfect. It hints that the person referred to is naïve, unaware of reality or deranged in holding such an optimistic belief....
: a proposal that the speaker regards as foolish or impractical (named derived from the ancient Greek play The Birds by AristophanesAristophanesAristophanes , son of Philippus, of the deme Cydathenaus, was a comic playwright of ancient Athens. Eleven of his forty plays survive virtually complete...
) - Folderol: foolish or silly talk
- FUBARFUBARFUBAR is an acronym that commonly means "fucked up beyond all recognition/any repair/all reason".-Etymology and history:The Oxford English Dictionary lists Yank, the Army Weekly magazine as its earliest citation: "The FUBAR Squadron.....
: military slangMilitary slangMilitary slang is an array of colloquial terminology used commonly by military personnel, including slang which is unique to or originates with the armed forces. It often takes the form of abbreviations/acronyms or derivations of the NATO Phonetic Alphabet, or otherwise incorporates aspects of...
: an acronym for "Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition - Red tapeRed tapeRed tape is excessive regulation or rigid conformity to formal rules that is considered redundant or bureaucratic and hinders or prevents action or decision-making...
: word that expresses the frustration of dealing with a slow-moving bureaucracyBureaucracyA bureaucracy is an organization of non-elected officials of a governmental or organization who implement the rules, laws, and functions of their institution, and are occasionally characterized by officialism and red tape.-Weberian bureaucracy:... - SNAFUSNAFUSNAFU is an acronym that stands for situation normal: all fucked up. It is sometimes bowdlerized to all fouled up or similar. In simple terms, it means that the normal situation is in a bad state, as it always is, therefore nothing unexpected. It is usually used in jest, or as a sign of frustration...
: military slangMilitary slangMilitary slang is an array of colloquial terminology used commonly by military personnel, including slang which is unique to or originates with the armed forces. It often takes the form of abbreviations/acronyms or derivations of the NATO Phonetic Alphabet, or otherwise incorporates aspects of...
: an acronym for "Situation Normal, All Fucked Up"
See also
- 555 (telephone number)
- Expletive attributiveExpletive attributiveExpletive comes from the Latin verb explere, meaning "to fill", via expletivus, "filling out". It was introduced into English in the seventeenth century to refer to various kinds of padding—the padding out of a book with peripheral material, the addition of syllables to a line of poetry for...
- Generic youGeneric youIn English grammar and in particular in casual English, generic you or indefinite you is the pronoun you in its use in referring to an unspecified person, as opposed to its use as the second person pronoun.-In English:...
- Nonce wordNonce wordA nonce word is a word used only "for the nonce"—to meet a need that is not expected to recur. Quark, for example, was formerly a nonce word in English, appearing only in James Joyce's Finnegans Wake. Murray Gell-Mann then adopted it to name a new class of subatomic particle...
- SampoSampoIn Finnish mythology, the Sampo or Sammas was a magical artifact of indeterminate type constructed by Ilmarinen that brought good fortune to its holder...
- Syntactic expletiveSyntactic expletiveSyntactic expletives are words that perform a syntactic role but contribute nothing to meaning. Expletive subjects are part of the grammar of many non-pro-drop languages such as English, whose clauses normally require overt provision of subject even when the subject can be pragmatically inferred...
- The Thing-Ummy BobThe Thing-Ummy BobThe Thing-Ummy Bob is a 1942 song which was written by Gordon Thompson and David Heneker which celebrates the production line worker of World War II making components for complex weapons to win the war...