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bidule — meaning in English

French → English · translate English → French instead

English meaning

  • contraption noun A machine or device that looks complicated, unusual, or unreliable.
  • gizmo noun A small device or gadget, especially one whose name or purpose isn't known.
  • hickey noun A bruise-like mark left on the skin from kissing or sucking, typically on the neck.
  • thingamabob noun A thing or person whose actual name is unknown or forgotten.
  • thingamajig noun Something that one does not know the name of.
  • thingy noun An informal word for an object whose name the speaker can't recall or doesn't need to state.
  • whatchamacallit noun An informal word for an object whose name you can't remember or don't know.

Senses

bidule is used for these senses in English:

  • contraption A machine that is complicated and precarious.
  • gizmo (slang) Something, generally a device, for which one does not know the proper term.
  • hickey (informal, slang) An object whose name is unknown or cannot be recalled. [from 1909]
  • thingamabob (slang) A thing or person whose actual name is unknown or forgotten.
  • thingamajig (informal) Something that one does not know the name of.
  • thingy (informal) A thing (used to refer to something vaguely or when one cannot recall or does not wish to mention its name).
  • whatchamacallit (slang) A metasyntactic term used for any object whose actual name the speaker does not know or cannot remember; a doodad, gizmo, thingamajig, thingy.

Related French words