You people are way too bright with your apt and often witty alternatives for when you forget something’s actual name. Me? I just employ an entirely random sound or made up word. It drives my wife insane. “Babe, would you pass me the…fucking… spraaaal?”

My friend had brain surgery for an aneurysm, and every so often she fumbles a word as a result. One day she wanted to say the word lumberjacks, but her brain came up with logfarmers instead.

My mom sometimes uses “doomaflagidad” for basically anything. The only way I’ve been able to translate is by using context clues. Usually based on what we’re talking about or if she’s pointing or using hand gestures.

When I was young there was a book of words made up by people where words didn’t exist. Close to what OP was saying. They were called Snigglets. I remember a few.

1. Downpause-the interruption of rain when you drive under a bridge.

2. Ignosecond- the tiny interval of time, for instance, between closing the car door and while it is in motion, remembering the key is inside.

3. PRNDL - pronounced prendle, the stock in the middle of the car it on the steering column that switches between drive modes.

And one I made up:

4. Blurble - when a liquid is being poured into a container and at some point a drop jumps out of the container and into your eye or some other inconvenient place. Also, when you are drinking and the liquid level in the container reaches that critical point where when the drink is returned to a level position causes a drop to blurble out of the cup. And finally that sound a liquid makes when it comes out of a 2 liter bottle.

Swedish is awesome with compound words, say that you forget the Swedish word for “computer”, “dator”, you could just use “informationshanteringsmaskin” instead!

I used three words to make one compound word, the words I used was:

“Information”, “hantering” and “maskin”

Couldn’t think of “croissants” as a kid, called them “curly rolls,” my uncle mocked me as a true product of the south, etc…

My family calls the TV remote a “gonk” because apparently my grandpa called it that once back when they were still a pretty new thing, and it stuck. My mom and her siblings passed it on to their own kids, and now there’s just a small packet of people in Minnesota who call TV remotes gonks, much to the confusion of our peers.

My partner says “pizza rind” for the crust edge that she won’t eat.

i take a drug that gives temporary wordal aphasia as a symptom so i do that all the time. it helps writing lyrics and makes in person conversation more difficult and more fun.

I used to work in a Mexican restaurant. I always forgot the Spanish word for oven, so I’d say “La máquina que hace calor la comida.”

When my mom forgets the word she wants to use, she replaces them with words like “whaticall” or “doflicky”

I have long covid, I’m in the menopause, and I deal with three separate languages each day.

Anyway, gulls are sea pigeons. You’re welcome.

I have cryptolalia. So… squirtainly.

legiterally

I remember there was a reddit community about this for a while, but I can’t remember what it was.

My favorite that I’ve used on occasion during a brain fart is ‘food laundry’ when I can’t remember ‘dishes’