dingus

English

Etymology

From Dutch dinges, ding (“thing”).

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈdɪŋɡəs/

Noun

dingus (plural dinguses)

1. Something whose name is either unknown or forgotten; a thingamajig.
   • 1953, Raymond Chandler, The Long Goodbye, Penguin 2010, p. 29:

     I wet the rod and measured the stuff into the top and and by that time the water was steaming. I filled the lower half of the dingus and set it on the flame.

   • 1979, Kyril Bonfiglioli, After You with the Pistol, Penguin 2001, p. 241:

     ‘Say, what’s that dingus you Britishers wear when you’re playing cricket?’

2. A fool or incompetent person.

   I just lost my keys again. Now I feel like a dingus.

3. (slang, vulgar) penis
   • 1970, Don Tracy, The Last Boat Out of Cincinnati, Trident Press (1970), ISBN 9780671270568, page 74:

     "He got mad at me because his dingus wouldn’t come up for him — too drunk, I guess. […]

See also

• doofus (2)