so-and-so

See also: so and so

English

Alternative forms

• so and so

Noun

so-and-so (plural so-and-sos)

1. A placeholder name for a person or thing, used when a name is not known; a generic person or thing.

   She told me to ask so-and-so, but he didn't know, either.

   Business letters normally begin "Dear Mr So-and-So".

   He will tell you to do so-and-so, but read the instructions first, anyway.

2. (euphemistic, derogatory) Used in place of epithets such as SOB, bastard, etc.

   That miserable so-and-so messed up my work!

   • 2017, David Walliams [pseudonym; David Edward Williams], Bad Dad, London: HarperCollins Children’s Books, →ISBN:

     “How can five hundred pounds become a hundred thousand pounds?!”
     “I’m not a bank,” snapped Mr Big.
     “No, you just rob them!” said Frank.
     “Cocky little so-and-so, aren’t you?”

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:whatsaname

Related terms

• such-and-such

Translations

placeholder name

• Arabic: فُلَان (ar) m (fulān), فُلَانَة f (fulāna)

  Moroccan Arabic: فلان m (flān), فلانة f (flāna)

• Azerbaijani: filan, nəmnə (dialect, colluqial), bəhman
• Bashkir: фәлән (fələn), фәлән-төгән (fələn-tögən)
• Bengali: ফলনা m (fôlôna), ফলনি f (fôlôni), অমুক (bn) (omuk)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 某某 (zh) (mǒumǒu)

• Czech: ten a ten m, ta a ta f, to a to n
• Egyptian: (mn m), (mnt f)
• Finnish: se ja se (fi)
• French: (person): Untel (fr), Machin (fr), Trucmuche (fr), Tartempion (fr) ; (thing): chose (fr), machin (fr)
• Galician: aqueloutro m, fulán m
• German: der und der m, die und die f, das und das n
• Greek: τάδε (el) m or f or n (táde)

  Ancient Greek: δεῖνα m or f or n (deîna)

• Japanese: 何々 (なになに, naninani)
• Kapampangan: nanu-nanu, kayi
• Korean: 뭐뭐 (mwomwo), 아무개 (ko) (amugae), 무엇무엇 (mueonmueot), 무슨무슨 (museunmuseun)
• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: فِڵان (ckb) (fillan), فیسار (fîsar)

• Maltese: flien m, fliena f
• Maori: mea, kai a te kurī (Rather derogatory expression)
• Persian: فلان (fa) (folân), بهمان (fa) (bahmân)
• Portuguese: fulano (pt) m, sicrano (pt) m, beltrano (pt) m
• Romanian: Xulescu m, Xuleasca f
• Russian: то́-то и то́-то n (tó-to i tó-to), и то и сё n (i to i sjo)
• Spanish: fulano (es) m, fulana (es) f
• Turkish: falan (tr), filan (tr), falan filan (tr)
• Turkmen: nämenäme, pylan
• Walloon: Tibî Meyî (wa), Chôze

anything generic

• Arabic: فُلَان (ar) (fulān), كَذَا وَكَذَا (kaḏā wakaḏā), كَذَا (kaḏā)
• Bengali: অমুক (bn) (omuk)
• Finnish: se ja tämä
• French: ci et ça
• Galician: aqueloutro m, fulán m
• German: so und so
• Greek: δείνα (el) (deína)

  Ancient Greek: δεῖνα m or f or n (deîna)

• Kapampangan: nanu-nanu, kayi-kayi
• Maori: mea
• Persian: فلان (fa) (folân), باستار (fa) (bâstâr)
• Russian: то́-то и то́-то n (tó-to i tó-to); та́к-то и та́к-то (ták-to i ták-to)

name used to take the place of an epithet

• Finnish: se ja se (fi)
• Kapampangan: kayi
• Polish: taki owaki
• Russian: тако́й-сяко́й (ru) (takój-sjakój)
• Spanish: tal por cual m or f

Anagrams

• Sodanos