something or other
A thing you cannot name, or do not bother to name.
Also called somethin' or other, something 'nother, sump'n nuther.
Updated September 24, 2026
something or other pronunciation
/SUMP-thin or UTH-er/
Meaning
You reach for a detail and come up empty, so you park it as something or other. Could be a store, a cousin, a pill the doctor prescribed. In porch talk it often shrinks to sump'n or other or something 'nother. The point is the exact label does not matter enough to dig for.
How folks use it
- “He works for an insurance outfit or something or other.”
- “She brought over a casserole with cheese and something or other on top.”
Origin and etymology
Plain English vagueness talk that got especially common in Southern and South Midland speech. DARE marks it chiefly in those regions. Rural talk compresses it further into sump'n nuther and similar forms.