Is there another expression, apart from what's-his-name (or similar), which is used when somebody is speaking of a person, but doesn't remember the person's name?
I thought Vattelapesca was used in English too, but apparently it is not. I know that in American English Joe Doe, or Joe Six Packs is also used, but I think it is used when a person cannot be identified (for example, a homeless man), or to refer to an ordinary man.
Best Answer
First of all, it's actually John Doe, not Joe Doe, and the female equivalent is Jane Doe.
And no, what's-his-name/what's-her-name is by far the most common option for referring to people whose name you can't remember.
The common alternative is to identify the person without using a name at all:
I saw that girl yesterday, that one who hit you with her car. Remember her?
Well did -- what's his name? -- your cousin -- try using a trowel?
In lieu of what's-his-name, among teenagers you will sometimes hear what's-his-face and in more vulgar terms what's-his-fuck.
Another term you will see is So-and-so, but this is used when the name doesn't matter, not when you've forgotten it.
Johnny told me that he heard from so-and-so that you can just fix that with duck tape, actually.