so-and-so

noun

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

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

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rotterdirty dogratskunkstinkerstinkpotbumpuke
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Meanings

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

plural so-and-sos · alternative so and so

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

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

    2 more examples

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

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

  2. derogatoryeuphemisticUsed in place of epithets such as SOB, bastard, etc.

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

    2 more examples

    “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?”

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

    Greg [Wise]’s excellent to work with. Funny and incredibly playful. He gets to be married to me by day and Emma Thompson by night. What a lucky so-and-so. We all want to be married to Emma Thompson, don’t we? I certainly do.

    2023 August 13, Michael Hogan, quoting Susan Wokoma, “Actor Susan Wokoma: ‘We all want to be married to Emma Thompson, don’t we?’”, in The Observer

Synonyms & antonyms

nouna person who is deemed to be despicable or contemptible

Similar
rotterdirty dogratskunkstinkerstinkpotbumpukecrumblowlifescumbaggitscum bag
Broader
unpleasant persondisagreeable person
Also see
bumcrumbgitlowlifepukeratrotterscumbagskunkstinkerstinkpotthus and sowhatchamacallherwhatchamacallhimwhat's-her-facewhat's-her-namewhat's-his-facewhat's-his-namewhat's-their-facewhat's-their-name

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Translations

Ancient Greek δεῖνα (deîna), δεῖνα (deîna)
  • δεῖνα (deîna)placeholder name
  • δεῖνα (deîna)anything generic
Arabic فُلَان, فُلَانَة
  • فُلَان (fulān)placeholder name
  • فُلَانَة (fulāna)placeholder name
  • فُلَان (fulān)anything generic
  • كَذَا وَكَذَا (kaḏā wakaḏā)anything generic
  • كَذَا (kaḏā)anything generic
Bengali ফলনা, ফলনি
  • ফলনা (fôlôna)placeholder name
  • ফলনি (fôlôni)placeholder name
  • অমুক (omuk)placeholder name
  • অমুক (omuk)anything generic
Chinese Mandarin 某某
  • 某某 (mǒumǒu)placeholder name
Czech ten a ten, ta a ta
  • ten a tenplaceholder name
  • ta a taplaceholder name
  • to a toplaceholder name
Esperanto ajnulo
  • ajnuloplaceholder name
Finnish se ja se, se ja tämä
  • se ja seplaceholder name
  • se ja tämäanything generic
  • se ja sename used to take the place of an epithet
French Untel, Machin
  • Untelplaceholder name
  • Machinplaceholder name
  • Trucmucheplaceholder name
  • Tartempionplaceholder name
  • choseplaceholder name
  • machinplaceholder name
  • ci et çaanything generic
German der und der, die und die
  • der und derplaceholder name
  • die und dieplaceholder name
  • das und dasplaceholder name
  • so und soanything generic
Greek τάδε (táde), δείνα
  • τάδε (táde)placeholder name
  • δείνα (deína)anything generic
Hebrew פלוני
  • פלוני (plóni)placeholder name
Indonesian si anu, si fulan
  • si anuplaceholder name
  • si fulanplaceholder name
Japanese 何々
  • 何々 (naninani)placeholder name
Korean 뭐뭐, 아무개
  • 뭐뭐 (mwomwo)placeholder name
  • 아무개 (amugae)placeholder name
  • 무엇무엇 (mueonmueot)placeholder name
  • 무슨무슨 (museunmuseun)placeholder name
Māori mea, kai a te kurī
  • meaplaceholder name
  • kai a te kurīplaceholder name
  • meaanything generic
Persian فلان, بهمان
  • فلان (folân)placeholder name
  • بهمان (bahmân)placeholder name
  • فلان (folân)anything generic
  • باستار (bâstâr)anything generic
Polish taki owaki, taki owaki
  • taki owakiplaceholder name
  • taki owakianything generic
  • taki owakiname used to take the place of an epithet
Portuguese fulano, sicrano
  • fulanoplaceholder name
  • sicranoplaceholder name
  • beltranoplaceholder name
  • tal coisaanything generic
Romanian cutare, Cutărescu
  • cutareplaceholder name
  • Cutărescuplaceholder name
  • X-ulescuplaceholder name
  • X-uleascaplaceholder name
Russian то́-то и то́-то, и то и сё
  • то́-то и то́-то (tó-to i tó-to)placeholder name
  • и то и сё (i to i sjo)placeholder name
  • то́-то и то́-то (tó-to i tó-to)anything generic
  • та́к-то и та́к-то (ták-to i ták-to)anything generic
  • тако́й-сяко́й (takój-sjakój)name used to take the place of an epithet
Spanish fulano, fulana
  • fulanoplaceholder name
  • fulanaplaceholder name
  • tal por cualname used to take the place of an epithet
Turkish falan, filan
  • falanplaceholder name
  • filanplaceholder name
  • falan filanplaceholder name
  • bilmem neplaceholder name
Cite this entry
APA

so-and-so. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/so-and-so

MLA

“so-and-so.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/so-and-so. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “so-and-so,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/so-and-so.

Source: so-and-so on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.