Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1974 (SND Vol. IX). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
THINGUM, n. Also thinga-, thingie (Ags.), hingmy, thingwi. As in colloq. Eng., used to indicate a person or thing the name of which one cannot remember or cannot be bothered to give precisely. The usual Eng. combs. thingum(y)bob, thingummyjig are found and also Sc. combs. thingabee(t) (Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B.), thingumdairie (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 192; Ags.1 1926), “what's his or its name.”
Gsw. 1983 James Kelman Not not while the giro 48:How's thingwi - that whatsisname, Williams? Gsw. 1985 Michael Munro The Patter 34:
hingmy Broad Glaswegian version of thingmy, what-do-you-call-it, or whatsisname. Edb. 1992:
Ye must ken hingmy - he went tae the school wi ye.
