Macquarie Dictionary

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Where is the thingo?

Today we feature a classic piece of Aussie slang, a word for all situations, so flexible that it can bend into any lexicon, what was it again? Sorry, I’ve forgotten the name of the thingo… oh, that’s it! Thingo is this week’s Aussie Word of the Week. 

Thingo is versatile. A handy place holder for the forgetful and lazy amongst us. Want to change the channel? Ask someone to pass you the thingo and they will invariably know what you mean.

Thingo is the Aussie way of saying thingummy or thingamyjiggey or thingamabob or even thingy. It has been in common use since the 1960s. Australians use thingo so much in day-to-day speech you probably don’t even notice you’re doing it!

For other slang words, check out our Australian Word Map, where you can search words by region, or submit your own slang words via our Suggest a Word portal. 

Each week, we have a look at a slang word from Australian English. You can see other Aussie Word of the Week posts from the Macquarie Dictionary here.

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