*DINGBAT
Bartlett's fourth edition (1877) of his Dictionary of Americanisms, decided that this owed its origin to a bat, or piece of wood or metal, that could be dinged, or thrown. That’s probably as good as any explanation, though the source of any bit of slang is usually highly dubious. At any rate, Americans use it, as we do its derivative, dingus, as a momentary name for anything of which the proper name is out of mind or unknown.
*Inspired
by Charles Funk (1881–1957)
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