Is the origin of 'doohickey' just a clever piece of folk etymology?
In short: We often use 'doohickey' when a name escapes us, but the popular story of its birth—involving dew and skin blemishes—is likely a myth.
A popular legend suggests the word evolved from 'dew hickey,' referring to the mark left on a leaf after dew evaporates. This theory claims that because people lacked a specific term for these marks, they used 'doohickey' to describe anything nameless.
However, there is no documented evidence for this origin. Furthermore, the definition of 'hickey' as a skin blemish did not appear until several decades after the word 'doohickey' was already in use, disproving the connection.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Where Does the Word Doohickey Come From?
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