What does ish really mean?

Question

In slang if you say anything ish you mean a "little bit of"?

John C. · Accepted Answer

0 Hi Jessica 02br
02br
00"ish" certainly can mean "a little bit". 02br
00For instance: 02br
00A: "Are you warm yet?" 02br
00B: "I'm warmish." 02br
02br
00It's also a way of indicating that you are not being exact, but approximate. 02br
00Examples: 02br
00"I'll be there nineish" = I'll be there at about 9 o'clock. 02br
00"She is fortyish" = She's about forty years old. 02br
02br
00"ish" has the advantage of being able to be tagged on to a sentence you have already uttered (i.e. without recasting the sentence to indicate that you're not being exact). 02br
00For instance: 02br
00"Well it's blue ... ish" = The speaker's first impression is that the colour is blue, but there is some doubt in his mind. 02br
02br
02br
00Cheers 02br
02br
00John. 0-

Jessica144 · Answer

0 thanks john, very helpful indeed! 0-

Maj · Answer

hottish!

Miriam · Answer

"ish" has been mentioned here as being used in slang. Slang isn't my strong point, but I have seen the ending "ish" used in formal texts, in the description of the colour of a substance, for example ("a greyish/whitish matter").

My question here is when is the ending "ish" to be considered slang? It appears in several adjectives, such as British, and it is not an instance of slang there.

Thanks,

Miriam

Suzi · Answer

well miriam, I'd say that is all about TIME - the -ish morpheme is well established in the way of slightly modifying an adjective

if you read a phrase like "thickish mixture" in a recipe you accept it because that useage has been around a long time, and has become mainstream,

if you hear it tagged on in a novel way it could be classed as "slang" adnit will either be temporary or it will stick - some of yesteryear's slang is today's standard useageand some of it just sank without trace!

Abbos · Answer

Hi to All...

First I would say that I have no any moral rights to discuss here with u such hard things, as I'm not expert in this language, Even not in intermediate level. Yet, somehow my curiosity to talk with u and share with my opinions doesn't let me to live the topic without saying anything.
For this reason please dont pay much attention to my mistakes and poor language.

I think "ish" is used sometimes to make adjektives. For example: "I'm confused on his childish behavior!", also u can see for example: "british hospitality", "spanish olives" and so on. May be I was wrong with these sentences, but it seems to be that "ish" is used to make adjectives as I sad above.

I was wondering what did our experts like Miriam, Mr. Micawbere, Clive, Avangi, Alphecca Stars and others think about my opinion.

Thank u for wasting your time reading the dumbest post u have ever seen

peace

Batchat · Answer

Jessica

'ish' means 'sort of'

'Are you happy?'

'Happyish' may be an example.

Sam

Anonymous · Answer

There are very many ways this ish suffix is used in English.   One of them is to make a new word with ties to some other word or words:  standoffish.  To stand off means to stand apart or at a distance.  By adding ish you create a new word which retains the essence of the original:  standoffish means tending to keep one's distance in relationships.  Self means one's own entity.  By adding ish to self you get a new, related word that means overly concerned with one's own entity.  Other examples:  childish, mannish, stylish, womanish.

Anonymous · Answer

I have a response. First of all, your command of the English language is pretty good.

1) 'moral' is used inappropriately here. A discussion on grammar is not a moral topic. However, your point got across. I would say something like, "I do not have the linguistic expertise to..."

2) Don't abbreviate 'you' with 'u' unless you want to be perceived as a teenager.

3) YOU ARE CORRECT: In formal English, 'ish' is a suffix (ending) of a descriptive word, not a full word itself, meaning "sort of like ___". For example, the words childish, boyish, reddish are formal words that mean that someone is acting somewhat like a child (often spoken of someone who ought not be acting like a child), or like a boy (as in the case of a girl, or an adult male), or that a color has a hint of red in it. These are just three examples of many and these adjectives are formal and will be found in the dictionary. However, in common vernacular, the ending 'ish' is occasionally added to words to be used (familiarly speaking), such as: friendly-ish, cool-ish…as a somewhat lazy way of making up your own words, that is, by saying that something is kind of friendly, kind of cool… Keep in mind, that these are not real words (I just made them up), and often times people use hyphens in this case, but they may not because there is no correct way to write it. There is no limit on the use here. People just coin these words occasionally for their own use just to convey an idea when a more formal description doesn't come to mind. Sometimes the distinction between which of these words are formal and which are totally made up is unclear, such as in words like 'smallish' or 'tallish', which are a bit more common, but I'm unsure as to whether they are actual words or not and I am a native English speaker. I'd have to look them up in a dictionary to see, but I surely would't use them in formal writing.

3) YOU ARE CORRECT: There are some adjectives that naturally end in 'ish' as you said, such as the ones you mentioned: Spanish, English, Britsh, Irish, etc. These are typically nationality descriptions, although not all national descriptions follow this pattern: German, Germanic, Celtic, French, etc.

4) ADDITIONALLY: In very recent slang, the use of 'ish' as a word in itself has come about in very young, very hip circles, and seems to be catching on. It is complete slang and many anglophones don't know the use of this word although they may after a few more years pass. It does not have an exact meaning, but can be used in the same context as, "craziness" or "***", but it is not considered a crass word. It tends to denote something good, cool, hip, and young. For instance, if a picture has a caption of merely "ish" or "this ish", that confers the idea "This is the *** (very cool)" or "Check out this awesomeness." (By the way, 'awesomeness' is not a real word either, although it is common slang, and easier to interpret). This will not be found in any formal dictionaries, and it is new and upcoming slang. If you ever see 'ish' used as a word by itself, it is slang. Often times, questions on the definition of 'ish' involve its use as a slang word, which was probably read on a young person's comment or blog, or in the lyrics of a hip-hop song (although I don't know any).

5) Don't be too hard on yourself. Your post was not dumb! It was insightful and accurate. I only edited the small things you said to be helpful, since I am bilingual as well and always appreciate it when people edit my second language.

Grey ish 666 · Answer

Ish, used as a word, is not very recent. I found it in the comic book Daredevil#2 (1964) in a sentence written by Stan Lee at the end: "Anyway, more thrills, guest stars, and surprises next ish".

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