The Whatchamacallit: Those Everyday Objects You Just Can't Name (and Things You Think You Know about But Don't)

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.

Danny Danziger is a columnist for the Sunday Times, and the author of fourteen books, the latest of which is about the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.