bidule

Of unknown origin. Possibly from Picard bidoule, berdoule (“mud”). First attested in 1940 as military slang for a mess (in the sense of a dirty or disordered thing).

• IPA^(key): /bi.dyl/

• Audio:

  (file)

bidule m (plural bidules)

1. (informal) thingamajig

   C’est quoi ce bidule?

   What’s this thingamajig?

• machin
• truc

• “bidule”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.