Standard Lemma guide

so-and-so

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

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

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • 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.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Used in place of epithets such as SOB, bastard, etc.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: derogatory, euphemistic

Examples

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

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

a person who is deemed to be despicable or contemptible

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • only a rotter would do that
  • kill the rat
  • throw the bum out
  • you cowardly little pukes!
  • the British call a contemptible person a `git'

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: rotter, dirty dog, rat, skunk, stinker, stinkpot, bum, puke, crumb, lowlife, scum bag, git

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: unpleasant person, disagreeable person

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

96 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: فُلَان (fulān) — placeholder name
  • Arabic: فُلَانَة (fulāna) — placeholder name
  • Arabic: فلان (flān) — placeholder name
  • Arabic: فلانة (flāna) — placeholder name
  • Azerbaijani: filan — placeholder name
  • Azerbaijani: nəmnə — placeholder name
  • Azerbaijani: bəhman — placeholder name
  • Bashkir: фәлән (fələn) — placeholder name
  • Bashkir: фәлән-төгән (fələn-tögən) — placeholder name
  • Bengali: ফলনা (fôlôna) — placeholder name
  • Bengali: ফলনি (fôlôni) — placeholder name
  • Bengali: অমুক (omuk) — placeholder name
  • Chinese Mandarin: 某某 (mǒumǒu) — placeholder name
  • Czech: ten a ten — placeholder name
  • Czech: ta a ta — placeholder name
  • Czech: to a to — placeholder name
  • Egyptian: mn:n:Y1 (mn) — placeholder name
  • Egyptian: mn:n-t:Y1 (mnt) — placeholder name
  • Esperanto: ajnulo — placeholder name
  • Finnish: se ja se — placeholder name
  • French: Untel — placeholder name
  • French: Machin — placeholder name
  • French: Trucmuche — placeholder name
  • French: Tartempion — placeholder name
  • French: chose — placeholder name
  • French: machin — placeholder name
  • Galician: aqueloutro — placeholder name
  • Galician: fulán — placeholder name
  • German: der und der — placeholder name
  • German: die und die — placeholder name
  • German: das und das — placeholder name
  • Greek: τάδε (táde) — placeholder name
  • Ancient Greek: δεῖνα (deîna) — placeholder name
  • Hebrew: פלוני (plóni) — placeholder name
  • Indonesian: si anu — placeholder name
  • Indonesian: si fulan — placeholder name
  • Japanese: 何々 (naninani) — placeholder name
  • Kapampangan: nanu-nanu — placeholder name
  • Kapampangan: kayi — placeholder name
  • Korean: 뭐뭐 (mwomwo) — placeholder name
  • Korean: 아무개 (amugae) — placeholder name
  • Korean: 무엇무엇 (mueonmueot) — placeholder name
  • Korean: 무슨무슨 (museunmuseun) — placeholder name
  • Central Kurdish: فِڵان (fillan) — placeholder name
  • Central Kurdish: فیسار (fîsar) — placeholder name
  • Maltese: flien — placeholder name
  • Maltese: fliena — placeholder name
  • Māori: mea — placeholder name
  • Māori: kai a te kurī — placeholder name
  • Persian: فلان (folân) — placeholder name
  • Persian: بهمان (bahmân) — placeholder name
  • Polish: taki owaki — placeholder name
  • Portuguese: fulano — placeholder name
  • Portuguese: sicrano — placeholder name
  • Portuguese: beltrano — placeholder name
  • Romanian: cutare — placeholder name
  • Romanian: Cutărescu — placeholder name
  • Romanian: X-ulescu — placeholder name
  • Romanian: X-uleasca — placeholder name
  • Russian: то́-то и то́-то (tó-to i tó-to) — placeholder name
  • Russian: и то и сё (i to i sjo) — placeholder name
  • Spanish: fulano — placeholder name
  • Spanish: fulana — placeholder name
  • Turkish: falan — placeholder name
  • Turkish: filan — placeholder name
  • Turkish: falan filan — placeholder name
  • Turkish: bilmem ne — placeholder name
  • Turkmen: nämenäme — placeholder name
  • Turkmen: pylan — placeholder name
  • Walloon: Tibî Meyî — placeholder name
  • Walloon: Chôze — placeholder name
  • Arabic: فُلَان (fulān) — anything generic
  • Arabic: كَذَا وَكَذَا (kaḏā wakaḏā) — anything generic
  • Arabic: كَذَا (kaḏā) — anything generic
  • Bengali: অমুক (omuk) — anything generic
  • Finnish: se ja tämä — anything generic
  • French: ci et ça — anything generic
  • Galician: aqueloutro — anything generic
  • Galician: fulán — anything generic
  • German: so und so — anything generic
  • Greek: δείνα (deína) — anything generic
  • Ancient Greek: δεῖνα (deîna) — anything generic
  • Kapampangan: nanu-nanu — anything generic
  • Kapampangan: kayi-kayi — anything generic
  • Māori: mea — anything generic
  • Persian: فلان (folân) — anything generic
  • Persian: باستار (bâstâr) — anything generic
  • Polish: taki owaki — anything generic
  • Portuguese: tal coisa — anything generic
  • Russian: то́-то и то́-то (tó-to i tó-to) — anything generic
  • Russian: та́к-то и та́к-то (ták-to i ták-to) — anything generic
  • Finnish: se ja se — name used to take the place of an epithet
  • Kapampangan: kayi — name used to take the place of an epithet
  • Polish: taki owaki — name used to take the place of an epithet
  • Russian: тако́й-сяко́й (takój-sjakój) — name used to take the place of an epithet
  • Spanish: tal por cual — name used to take the place of an epithet