See also: Ish, ISH, ish-, -ish, and -ísh

English

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Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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From is.

Verb

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ish

  1. Pronunciation spelling of is.

Etymology 2

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Back-formation from -ish.

Adverb

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ish (not comparable)

  1. (colloquial) somewhat, reasonably, fairly
    The exam went well... mostly... ish.
    "Was the film any good?" – "Ish."
    • 26 May 2012, Jason VandenBerghe, “The Five Domains of Play”, Gotland Game Conference, Uppsala University:
      This is where I started. Does Hermione like Dark Souls? Ish.
  2. (colloquial) about, approximately
    • 1974, Kingsley Amis, Ending up, page 11:
      'With luck, about twelve.' 'Ah,' said Bernard. 'Twelve-thirty. Ish.'
    • 2007, Marne Davis Kellogg, Friends in High Places, page 283:
      How old are you? Fifty-ish?" / "Ish." / The color flared in her cheeks but she didn't look as though she were going to shoot me.
    • 2021 May, “Bogey”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name):
      (episode 38 of Manifest)
      Eagen: "Don't blame Little House on the Prairie. I was very charming."
      Angelina: "Did you lie about being an orphan too?"
      Eagen: "Ish."
Usage notes
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  • Like the suffix, the adverb is used only after the adjective it modifies, and never before.
Synonyms
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Translations
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Etymology 3

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From Pitman ess and eff, which it resembles phonetically and graphically, and the sound it represents. The change in vowel probably reflects the familiar suffix -ish.

Noun

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ish (plural ishes)

  1. The letter which stands for the sh sound /ʃ/ in Pitman shorthand.
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  • esh, the IPA letter for the same sound
  • zhee

Etymology 4

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Phonetic spelling of the clipping of issue.

Noun

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ish (plural ishes)

  1. (dated, fandom slang) An instalment of a periodical; an issue.
    • 1939 August 5, "Bob" Tucker, Le Zombie[1], number 10, page 3:
      "A LITTLE UNPLEASANTNESS" DEPT: Fantasy Digest says in it's[sic] latest ish: Quote: Some unpleasantness was caused when Don Wollheim and his brother Futurians were not allowed in the Convention Hall. Unquote.
    • 1961 July, George H. Scithers, Amra, volume 2, number 16, page 2:
      Next ish: a guide to who is who of the Howard heroes in the centerspread.
    • 1967 June, Drake Maynard, If, volume 17, number 6, page 160:
      My sincerest apologies to Brother Ron Smith in the December ish.
Derived terms
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Etymology 5

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Interjection

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ish (comparative more ish, superlative most ish)

  1. (informal, Canada, US, regional) ick, yuck
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See also
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Etymology 6

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From earlier isht, a minced oath metathetic alteration of shit.

Noun

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ish (uncountable)

  1. (euphemistic) Shit (in various senses).
    • 2010, Jill Murray, Break On Through, page 15:
      Anyone, really, but seriously, you'd think that people whose very passion depends on their lungs would want to cut that ish out
    • 2012, Dipal Parikh, Walking with Krishna: Based on True Life Events, page 154:
      I owe you a lot Dipal, so put that ish away.
    • 2013, Ivy McQuain, Get Your Head Out of the Clouds, This Is Business, page 25:
      Now, it's time to get your ish together.
    • 2015, Ni-Ni Simone, Amir Abrams, Lights, Love & Lip Gloss, page 51:
      I passed on that craziness. I wasn't messing with that ish.

References

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Anagrams

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Albanian

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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Onomatopoeic.

Verb

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ish

  1. to chase chicken away

Scots

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Noun

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ish

  1. issue; liberty of going out