contrivance vs doodad

contrivance

noun
  • A (mechanical) device to perform a certain task. 

  • Something overly artful or artificial. 

  • A means, such as an elaborate plan or strategy, to accomplish a certain objective. 

doodad

noun
  • Used to refer to something whose name one cannot recall: an unspecified device, gadget, part, or thing. 

How often have the words contrivance and doodad occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )