What is 'versing'? ‘Whatchamacallit' and other placeholder words. Chicken.

What is 'versing'? ‘Whatchamacallit' and other placeholder words. Chicken.

1109. This week, we look at why kids and video gamers talk about "versing" someone. Then, we look at the linguistics of placeholder words like "whatchamacallit" and "thingamajig," including some fun international examples and the now-obsolete word "whiblin."

The "thingamajig" segment was by Ursula Kania, a Senior Lecturer in English Language and Linguistics at the University of Liverpool. It originally appeared on The Conversation and appears here through a Creative Commons license.

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120 He Said, She Said

120 He Said, She Said

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118 Writing Accents and Dialects

118 Writing Accents and Dialects

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123 How to Avoid Clichés

123 How to Avoid Clichés

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15 Jul 20085min

116 "Than I" Versus "Than Me"

116 "Than I" Versus "Than Me"

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114 Phrasal Verbs

114 Phrasal Verbs

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4 Jul 20086min

113 Writing with Slang

113 Writing with Slang

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110 When to Leave Out "That"

110 When to Leave Out "That"

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6 Jun 20086min

108 Whose for Inanimate Objects

108 Whose for Inanimate Objects

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23 Mai 20085min

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