Whatshisname

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Whatshisname and Whatshername (both often, but not always, capitalized) are grammatical contractions of the phrases "what's his name?" and "what's her name?" and are placeholder names used place of a proper noun or a more specifically-descriptive phrase.

Unlike many similar generic words such as "whatchamacallit" and "thingamajig" which are used to refer to objects rather than people, both "Whatshisname" and "Whatshername" have at least a mildly disparaging and disrespectful connotation.

This negative connotation exists independent of inflection and is evident, for example, when the word is seen in writing. Inflection can, however, greatly elevate the level of disparagement implied.

Alternatively, a very different inflection, often accompanied by body language indicative of trying to remember something (such as squinting or finger snapping), can almost or completely mitigate this disparaging connotation by communicating that the speaker is genuinely trying to remember the name of the person in question but cannot.

"Whatstheirname" is an uncommon variant and is used in place of a word used to describe a group of people, such as the name of a sports team or a musical group.