What does the same-ish mean?





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I encounter such a sentence in a homework assignment:




It seems that the burn-in is adequate, that they are all converging to
the same-ish posteriour value, and that there is good mixing.




I don't know if the -ish is appended here just to reduce the extent of sameness? Is it just a synonym of similar or alike and etc?



And can I add -ish to any adjective to convey a same-ish meaning?










share|improve this question




















  • 3





    ish = 'or thereabouts'

    – mcalex
    Apr 2 at 9:16






  • 2





    Whenever I hear someone say 'this-or-that-ish', I append in my mind the words: 'Well, sort of!'

    – yunzen
    Apr 2 at 9:19













  • "... they are all converging to similar posterior(u)r values". And "same-ish" would imply that they values were similar enough for whatever purpose they were being used.

    – alephzero
    Apr 2 at 13:24






  • 1





    I agree with your conclusion that it "reduces the extent of X-ness". In this sentence I would replace "the same-ish" by "almost the same" or "roughly the same"

    – Michael Kay
    Apr 2 at 22:07






  • 1





    To the extent of my Chinese knowledge, it means "差不多”

    – The Photon
    Apr 3 at 0:54


















8















I encounter such a sentence in a homework assignment:




It seems that the burn-in is adequate, that they are all converging to
the same-ish posteriour value, and that there is good mixing.




I don't know if the -ish is appended here just to reduce the extent of sameness? Is it just a synonym of similar or alike and etc?



And can I add -ish to any adjective to convey a same-ish meaning?










share|improve this question




















  • 3





    ish = 'or thereabouts'

    – mcalex
    Apr 2 at 9:16






  • 2





    Whenever I hear someone say 'this-or-that-ish', I append in my mind the words: 'Well, sort of!'

    – yunzen
    Apr 2 at 9:19













  • "... they are all converging to similar posterior(u)r values". And "same-ish" would imply that they values were similar enough for whatever purpose they were being used.

    – alephzero
    Apr 2 at 13:24






  • 1





    I agree with your conclusion that it "reduces the extent of X-ness". In this sentence I would replace "the same-ish" by "almost the same" or "roughly the same"

    – Michael Kay
    Apr 2 at 22:07






  • 1





    To the extent of my Chinese knowledge, it means "差不多”

    – The Photon
    Apr 3 at 0:54














8












8








8


2






I encounter such a sentence in a homework assignment:




It seems that the burn-in is adequate, that they are all converging to
the same-ish posteriour value, and that there is good mixing.




I don't know if the -ish is appended here just to reduce the extent of sameness? Is it just a synonym of similar or alike and etc?



And can I add -ish to any adjective to convey a same-ish meaning?










share|improve this question
















I encounter such a sentence in a homework assignment:




It seems that the burn-in is adequate, that they are all converging to
the same-ish posteriour value, and that there is good mixing.




I don't know if the -ish is appended here just to reduce the extent of sameness? Is it just a synonym of similar or alike and etc?



And can I add -ish to any adjective to convey a same-ish meaning?







grammar word-usage adjectives suffixes






share|improve this question















share|improve this question













share|improve this question




share|improve this question








edited Apr 2 at 15:10









J.R.

100k8129249




100k8129249










asked Apr 2 at 7:53









Lerner ZhangLerner Zhang

90311129




90311129








  • 3





    ish = 'or thereabouts'

    – mcalex
    Apr 2 at 9:16






  • 2





    Whenever I hear someone say 'this-or-that-ish', I append in my mind the words: 'Well, sort of!'

    – yunzen
    Apr 2 at 9:19













  • "... they are all converging to similar posterior(u)r values". And "same-ish" would imply that they values were similar enough for whatever purpose they were being used.

    – alephzero
    Apr 2 at 13:24






  • 1





    I agree with your conclusion that it "reduces the extent of X-ness". In this sentence I would replace "the same-ish" by "almost the same" or "roughly the same"

    – Michael Kay
    Apr 2 at 22:07






  • 1





    To the extent of my Chinese knowledge, it means "差不多”

    – The Photon
    Apr 3 at 0:54














  • 3





    ish = 'or thereabouts'

    – mcalex
    Apr 2 at 9:16






  • 2





    Whenever I hear someone say 'this-or-that-ish', I append in my mind the words: 'Well, sort of!'

    – yunzen
    Apr 2 at 9:19













  • "... they are all converging to similar posterior(u)r values". And "same-ish" would imply that they values were similar enough for whatever purpose they were being used.

    – alephzero
    Apr 2 at 13:24






  • 1





    I agree with your conclusion that it "reduces the extent of X-ness". In this sentence I would replace "the same-ish" by "almost the same" or "roughly the same"

    – Michael Kay
    Apr 2 at 22:07






  • 1





    To the extent of my Chinese knowledge, it means "差不多”

    – The Photon
    Apr 3 at 0:54








3




3





ish = 'or thereabouts'

– mcalex
Apr 2 at 9:16





ish = 'or thereabouts'

– mcalex
Apr 2 at 9:16




2




2





Whenever I hear someone say 'this-or-that-ish', I append in my mind the words: 'Well, sort of!'

– yunzen
Apr 2 at 9:19







Whenever I hear someone say 'this-or-that-ish', I append in my mind the words: 'Well, sort of!'

– yunzen
Apr 2 at 9:19















"... they are all converging to similar posterior(u)r values". And "same-ish" would imply that they values were similar enough for whatever purpose they were being used.

– alephzero
Apr 2 at 13:24





"... they are all converging to similar posterior(u)r values". And "same-ish" would imply that they values were similar enough for whatever purpose they were being used.

– alephzero
Apr 2 at 13:24




1




1





I agree with your conclusion that it "reduces the extent of X-ness". In this sentence I would replace "the same-ish" by "almost the same" or "roughly the same"

– Michael Kay
Apr 2 at 22:07





I agree with your conclusion that it "reduces the extent of X-ness". In this sentence I would replace "the same-ish" by "almost the same" or "roughly the same"

– Michael Kay
Apr 2 at 22:07




1




1





To the extent of my Chinese knowledge, it means "差不多”

– The Photon
Apr 3 at 0:54





To the extent of my Chinese knowledge, it means "差不多”

– The Photon
Apr 3 at 0:54










2 Answers
2






active

oldest

votes


















18














Adding an '-ish' at the end of a word is generally done in informal contexts, mostly to make the reference sound deliberately vague and approximate. (Source)



Here, the speaker has added the suffix because he isn't completely sure of the similarity with the posterior value.



You can add the suffix to words, to bring about a hint of uncertainty. For example,




Person 1 : What time is it?
Person 2 : I don't know. I think it should be around twelve-ish?





Update



As pointed out by Michael Kay, if the adjective points to an extreme, then '-ish' implies less extreme; 'small-ish' is less small than small; 'cold-ish' is less cold than cold; 'same-ish' is less similar than same. So '-ish' not only conveys approximation but can also assign less of the characteristic than if "-ish" were omitted.






share|improve this answer





















  • 2





    Note that if the adjective points to an extreme, then -ish implies less extreme; small-ish is less small than small; cold-ish is less cold than cold; same-ish is less similar than same. So it's not just approximate or vague; it's explicitly assigning less of the characteristic than if "-ish" were omitted.

    – Michael Kay
    Apr 2 at 22:02



















2














Another answer already explains the meaning of -ish, but I'd like to address this question you also asked:




can I add -ish to any adjective to convey a same-ish meaning?




My answer to that would be: perhaps – but don't overdo it.



The suffix works well for some adjectives, such as colors:




They're so slow that sedentary that algae grows on their coats, giving sloths a greenish tint that can be used as camouflage in the trees. (Indianapolis Star, 2018)




However, I would NOT recommend applying the suffix haphazardly to just about any adjective. There are many cases where an -ish suffix would sound, well, amateurish, where it would probably be better to avoid using it, especially in formal contexts.



For example, consider size adjectives. Adjectives that connote extremes (such as tiny, infinitesimal, massive, or vast) don't work very well with -ish, and the ngrams reflect that.



Also, if a friend asked if I was hungry, I suppose I could say, "I'm hungryish," but most natives would opt for a phrase like, "I'm kind of hungry," or "I'm a little hungry," instead, and the ngrams support that, too.



Other adjectives that sound odd with -ish would include: delicious, tired, or miserable, but faint and loud seem to work okay:




Two-thirds the way along the Arcturus-to-Vega line brings you to a pattern of four faintish stars resembling the shape of the stone block (The Telegraph, 2017)



On Monday night, a few dozen noodleists came out for cocktails, soup, loudish Ramones and the bar's retro, antique-radio vibe. (New York Times, 2014).




If your spellchecker puts a red squiggly line under a word with -ish, it might be better to use an adverb like rather instead. (For example: He was rather thirsty after the game might be a safer option than He was thirstyish after the game.)






share|improve this answer



















  • 2





    often when writing, people (at least in Britain), place a hyphen before the -ish suffix. There is a well known brand of ready made sauces in the UK, and they used to have TV ads featuring the same family. One seasonal ad played on the fact that people would have leftover turkey for some time after Christmas. The mother announced at supper time that they were having curry. The daughter speaks for them all when she says "It isn't turkey again, is it?" Mother says "Well, it's turk-ish".

    – Michael Harvey
    Apr 2 at 19:32








  • 1





    Some devout UK Jews describe themselves thus and denounce their less fervent brethren as being "Jew-ish".

    – Michael Harvey
    Apr 2 at 19:35













  • The reason "massive-ish" doesn't work very well is because "massive" means "very big" and "ish" means" not very", so "massive-ish" contradictory.

    – Acccumulation
    Apr 3 at 2:53











  • Isn't there an extra "that" in "They're so slow that sedentary that algae grows on their coats"? I see you are quoting the Indianapolis Star word by word, but I think it's a copy/paste error from the original National Geographic article

    – Fabio Turati
    Apr 3 at 9:21












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2 Answers
2






active

oldest

votes








2 Answers
2






active

oldest

votes









active

oldest

votes






active

oldest

votes









18














Adding an '-ish' at the end of a word is generally done in informal contexts, mostly to make the reference sound deliberately vague and approximate. (Source)



Here, the speaker has added the suffix because he isn't completely sure of the similarity with the posterior value.



You can add the suffix to words, to bring about a hint of uncertainty. For example,




Person 1 : What time is it?
Person 2 : I don't know. I think it should be around twelve-ish?





Update



As pointed out by Michael Kay, if the adjective points to an extreme, then '-ish' implies less extreme; 'small-ish' is less small than small; 'cold-ish' is less cold than cold; 'same-ish' is less similar than same. So '-ish' not only conveys approximation but can also assign less of the characteristic than if "-ish" were omitted.






share|improve this answer





















  • 2





    Note that if the adjective points to an extreme, then -ish implies less extreme; small-ish is less small than small; cold-ish is less cold than cold; same-ish is less similar than same. So it's not just approximate or vague; it's explicitly assigning less of the characteristic than if "-ish" were omitted.

    – Michael Kay
    Apr 2 at 22:02
















18














Adding an '-ish' at the end of a word is generally done in informal contexts, mostly to make the reference sound deliberately vague and approximate. (Source)



Here, the speaker has added the suffix because he isn't completely sure of the similarity with the posterior value.



You can add the suffix to words, to bring about a hint of uncertainty. For example,




Person 1 : What time is it?
Person 2 : I don't know. I think it should be around twelve-ish?





Update



As pointed out by Michael Kay, if the adjective points to an extreme, then '-ish' implies less extreme; 'small-ish' is less small than small; 'cold-ish' is less cold than cold; 'same-ish' is less similar than same. So '-ish' not only conveys approximation but can also assign less of the characteristic than if "-ish" were omitted.






share|improve this answer





















  • 2





    Note that if the adjective points to an extreme, then -ish implies less extreme; small-ish is less small than small; cold-ish is less cold than cold; same-ish is less similar than same. So it's not just approximate or vague; it's explicitly assigning less of the characteristic than if "-ish" were omitted.

    – Michael Kay
    Apr 2 at 22:02














18












18








18







Adding an '-ish' at the end of a word is generally done in informal contexts, mostly to make the reference sound deliberately vague and approximate. (Source)



Here, the speaker has added the suffix because he isn't completely sure of the similarity with the posterior value.



You can add the suffix to words, to bring about a hint of uncertainty. For example,




Person 1 : What time is it?
Person 2 : I don't know. I think it should be around twelve-ish?





Update



As pointed out by Michael Kay, if the adjective points to an extreme, then '-ish' implies less extreme; 'small-ish' is less small than small; 'cold-ish' is less cold than cold; 'same-ish' is less similar than same. So '-ish' not only conveys approximation but can also assign less of the characteristic than if "-ish" were omitted.






share|improve this answer















Adding an '-ish' at the end of a word is generally done in informal contexts, mostly to make the reference sound deliberately vague and approximate. (Source)



Here, the speaker has added the suffix because he isn't completely sure of the similarity with the posterior value.



You can add the suffix to words, to bring about a hint of uncertainty. For example,




Person 1 : What time is it?
Person 2 : I don't know. I think it should be around twelve-ish?





Update



As pointed out by Michael Kay, if the adjective points to an extreme, then '-ish' implies less extreme; 'small-ish' is less small than small; 'cold-ish' is less cold than cold; 'same-ish' is less similar than same. So '-ish' not only conveys approximation but can also assign less of the characteristic than if "-ish" were omitted.







share|improve this answer














share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer








edited Apr 3 at 6:22

























answered Apr 2 at 8:03









Varun NairVarun Nair

7,32351944




7,32351944








  • 2





    Note that if the adjective points to an extreme, then -ish implies less extreme; small-ish is less small than small; cold-ish is less cold than cold; same-ish is less similar than same. So it's not just approximate or vague; it's explicitly assigning less of the characteristic than if "-ish" were omitted.

    – Michael Kay
    Apr 2 at 22:02














  • 2





    Note that if the adjective points to an extreme, then -ish implies less extreme; small-ish is less small than small; cold-ish is less cold than cold; same-ish is less similar than same. So it's not just approximate or vague; it's explicitly assigning less of the characteristic than if "-ish" were omitted.

    – Michael Kay
    Apr 2 at 22:02








2




2





Note that if the adjective points to an extreme, then -ish implies less extreme; small-ish is less small than small; cold-ish is less cold than cold; same-ish is less similar than same. So it's not just approximate or vague; it's explicitly assigning less of the characteristic than if "-ish" were omitted.

– Michael Kay
Apr 2 at 22:02





Note that if the adjective points to an extreme, then -ish implies less extreme; small-ish is less small than small; cold-ish is less cold than cold; same-ish is less similar than same. So it's not just approximate or vague; it's explicitly assigning less of the characteristic than if "-ish" were omitted.

– Michael Kay
Apr 2 at 22:02













2














Another answer already explains the meaning of -ish, but I'd like to address this question you also asked:




can I add -ish to any adjective to convey a same-ish meaning?




My answer to that would be: perhaps – but don't overdo it.



The suffix works well for some adjectives, such as colors:




They're so slow that sedentary that algae grows on their coats, giving sloths a greenish tint that can be used as camouflage in the trees. (Indianapolis Star, 2018)




However, I would NOT recommend applying the suffix haphazardly to just about any adjective. There are many cases where an -ish suffix would sound, well, amateurish, where it would probably be better to avoid using it, especially in formal contexts.



For example, consider size adjectives. Adjectives that connote extremes (such as tiny, infinitesimal, massive, or vast) don't work very well with -ish, and the ngrams reflect that.



Also, if a friend asked if I was hungry, I suppose I could say, "I'm hungryish," but most natives would opt for a phrase like, "I'm kind of hungry," or "I'm a little hungry," instead, and the ngrams support that, too.



Other adjectives that sound odd with -ish would include: delicious, tired, or miserable, but faint and loud seem to work okay:




Two-thirds the way along the Arcturus-to-Vega line brings you to a pattern of four faintish stars resembling the shape of the stone block (The Telegraph, 2017)



On Monday night, a few dozen noodleists came out for cocktails, soup, loudish Ramones and the bar's retro, antique-radio vibe. (New York Times, 2014).




If your spellchecker puts a red squiggly line under a word with -ish, it might be better to use an adverb like rather instead. (For example: He was rather thirsty after the game might be a safer option than He was thirstyish after the game.)






share|improve this answer



















  • 2





    often when writing, people (at least in Britain), place a hyphen before the -ish suffix. There is a well known brand of ready made sauces in the UK, and they used to have TV ads featuring the same family. One seasonal ad played on the fact that people would have leftover turkey for some time after Christmas. The mother announced at supper time that they were having curry. The daughter speaks for them all when she says "It isn't turkey again, is it?" Mother says "Well, it's turk-ish".

    – Michael Harvey
    Apr 2 at 19:32








  • 1





    Some devout UK Jews describe themselves thus and denounce their less fervent brethren as being "Jew-ish".

    – Michael Harvey
    Apr 2 at 19:35













  • The reason "massive-ish" doesn't work very well is because "massive" means "very big" and "ish" means" not very", so "massive-ish" contradictory.

    – Acccumulation
    Apr 3 at 2:53











  • Isn't there an extra "that" in "They're so slow that sedentary that algae grows on their coats"? I see you are quoting the Indianapolis Star word by word, but I think it's a copy/paste error from the original National Geographic article

    – Fabio Turati
    Apr 3 at 9:21
















2














Another answer already explains the meaning of -ish, but I'd like to address this question you also asked:




can I add -ish to any adjective to convey a same-ish meaning?




My answer to that would be: perhaps – but don't overdo it.



The suffix works well for some adjectives, such as colors:




They're so slow that sedentary that algae grows on their coats, giving sloths a greenish tint that can be used as camouflage in the trees. (Indianapolis Star, 2018)




However, I would NOT recommend applying the suffix haphazardly to just about any adjective. There are many cases where an -ish suffix would sound, well, amateurish, where it would probably be better to avoid using it, especially in formal contexts.



For example, consider size adjectives. Adjectives that connote extremes (such as tiny, infinitesimal, massive, or vast) don't work very well with -ish, and the ngrams reflect that.



Also, if a friend asked if I was hungry, I suppose I could say, "I'm hungryish," but most natives would opt for a phrase like, "I'm kind of hungry," or "I'm a little hungry," instead, and the ngrams support that, too.



Other adjectives that sound odd with -ish would include: delicious, tired, or miserable, but faint and loud seem to work okay:




Two-thirds the way along the Arcturus-to-Vega line brings you to a pattern of four faintish stars resembling the shape of the stone block (The Telegraph, 2017)



On Monday night, a few dozen noodleists came out for cocktails, soup, loudish Ramones and the bar's retro, antique-radio vibe. (New York Times, 2014).




If your spellchecker puts a red squiggly line under a word with -ish, it might be better to use an adverb like rather instead. (For example: He was rather thirsty after the game might be a safer option than He was thirstyish after the game.)






share|improve this answer



















  • 2





    often when writing, people (at least in Britain), place a hyphen before the -ish suffix. There is a well known brand of ready made sauces in the UK, and they used to have TV ads featuring the same family. One seasonal ad played on the fact that people would have leftover turkey for some time after Christmas. The mother announced at supper time that they were having curry. The daughter speaks for them all when she says "It isn't turkey again, is it?" Mother says "Well, it's turk-ish".

    – Michael Harvey
    Apr 2 at 19:32








  • 1





    Some devout UK Jews describe themselves thus and denounce their less fervent brethren as being "Jew-ish".

    – Michael Harvey
    Apr 2 at 19:35













  • The reason "massive-ish" doesn't work very well is because "massive" means "very big" and "ish" means" not very", so "massive-ish" contradictory.

    – Acccumulation
    Apr 3 at 2:53











  • Isn't there an extra "that" in "They're so slow that sedentary that algae grows on their coats"? I see you are quoting the Indianapolis Star word by word, but I think it's a copy/paste error from the original National Geographic article

    – Fabio Turati
    Apr 3 at 9:21














2












2








2







Another answer already explains the meaning of -ish, but I'd like to address this question you also asked:




can I add -ish to any adjective to convey a same-ish meaning?




My answer to that would be: perhaps – but don't overdo it.



The suffix works well for some adjectives, such as colors:




They're so slow that sedentary that algae grows on their coats, giving sloths a greenish tint that can be used as camouflage in the trees. (Indianapolis Star, 2018)




However, I would NOT recommend applying the suffix haphazardly to just about any adjective. There are many cases where an -ish suffix would sound, well, amateurish, where it would probably be better to avoid using it, especially in formal contexts.



For example, consider size adjectives. Adjectives that connote extremes (such as tiny, infinitesimal, massive, or vast) don't work very well with -ish, and the ngrams reflect that.



Also, if a friend asked if I was hungry, I suppose I could say, "I'm hungryish," but most natives would opt for a phrase like, "I'm kind of hungry," or "I'm a little hungry," instead, and the ngrams support that, too.



Other adjectives that sound odd with -ish would include: delicious, tired, or miserable, but faint and loud seem to work okay:




Two-thirds the way along the Arcturus-to-Vega line brings you to a pattern of four faintish stars resembling the shape of the stone block (The Telegraph, 2017)



On Monday night, a few dozen noodleists came out for cocktails, soup, loudish Ramones and the bar's retro, antique-radio vibe. (New York Times, 2014).




If your spellchecker puts a red squiggly line under a word with -ish, it might be better to use an adverb like rather instead. (For example: He was rather thirsty after the game might be a safer option than He was thirstyish after the game.)






share|improve this answer













Another answer already explains the meaning of -ish, but I'd like to address this question you also asked:




can I add -ish to any adjective to convey a same-ish meaning?




My answer to that would be: perhaps – but don't overdo it.



The suffix works well for some adjectives, such as colors:




They're so slow that sedentary that algae grows on their coats, giving sloths a greenish tint that can be used as camouflage in the trees. (Indianapolis Star, 2018)




However, I would NOT recommend applying the suffix haphazardly to just about any adjective. There are many cases where an -ish suffix would sound, well, amateurish, where it would probably be better to avoid using it, especially in formal contexts.



For example, consider size adjectives. Adjectives that connote extremes (such as tiny, infinitesimal, massive, or vast) don't work very well with -ish, and the ngrams reflect that.



Also, if a friend asked if I was hungry, I suppose I could say, "I'm hungryish," but most natives would opt for a phrase like, "I'm kind of hungry," or "I'm a little hungry," instead, and the ngrams support that, too.



Other adjectives that sound odd with -ish would include: delicious, tired, or miserable, but faint and loud seem to work okay:




Two-thirds the way along the Arcturus-to-Vega line brings you to a pattern of four faintish stars resembling the shape of the stone block (The Telegraph, 2017)



On Monday night, a few dozen noodleists came out for cocktails, soup, loudish Ramones and the bar's retro, antique-radio vibe. (New York Times, 2014).




If your spellchecker puts a red squiggly line under a word with -ish, it might be better to use an adverb like rather instead. (For example: He was rather thirsty after the game might be a safer option than He was thirstyish after the game.)







share|improve this answer












share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer










answered Apr 2 at 17:42









J.R.J.R.

100k8129249




100k8129249








  • 2





    often when writing, people (at least in Britain), place a hyphen before the -ish suffix. There is a well known brand of ready made sauces in the UK, and they used to have TV ads featuring the same family. One seasonal ad played on the fact that people would have leftover turkey for some time after Christmas. The mother announced at supper time that they were having curry. The daughter speaks for them all when she says "It isn't turkey again, is it?" Mother says "Well, it's turk-ish".

    – Michael Harvey
    Apr 2 at 19:32








  • 1





    Some devout UK Jews describe themselves thus and denounce their less fervent brethren as being "Jew-ish".

    – Michael Harvey
    Apr 2 at 19:35













  • The reason "massive-ish" doesn't work very well is because "massive" means "very big" and "ish" means" not very", so "massive-ish" contradictory.

    – Acccumulation
    Apr 3 at 2:53











  • Isn't there an extra "that" in "They're so slow that sedentary that algae grows on their coats"? I see you are quoting the Indianapolis Star word by word, but I think it's a copy/paste error from the original National Geographic article

    – Fabio Turati
    Apr 3 at 9:21














  • 2





    often when writing, people (at least in Britain), place a hyphen before the -ish suffix. There is a well known brand of ready made sauces in the UK, and they used to have TV ads featuring the same family. One seasonal ad played on the fact that people would have leftover turkey for some time after Christmas. The mother announced at supper time that they were having curry. The daughter speaks for them all when she says "It isn't turkey again, is it?" Mother says "Well, it's turk-ish".

    – Michael Harvey
    Apr 2 at 19:32








  • 1





    Some devout UK Jews describe themselves thus and denounce their less fervent brethren as being "Jew-ish".

    – Michael Harvey
    Apr 2 at 19:35













  • The reason "massive-ish" doesn't work very well is because "massive" means "very big" and "ish" means" not very", so "massive-ish" contradictory.

    – Acccumulation
    Apr 3 at 2:53











  • Isn't there an extra "that" in "They're so slow that sedentary that algae grows on their coats"? I see you are quoting the Indianapolis Star word by word, but I think it's a copy/paste error from the original National Geographic article

    – Fabio Turati
    Apr 3 at 9:21








2




2





often when writing, people (at least in Britain), place a hyphen before the -ish suffix. There is a well known brand of ready made sauces in the UK, and they used to have TV ads featuring the same family. One seasonal ad played on the fact that people would have leftover turkey for some time after Christmas. The mother announced at supper time that they were having curry. The daughter speaks for them all when she says "It isn't turkey again, is it?" Mother says "Well, it's turk-ish".

– Michael Harvey
Apr 2 at 19:32







often when writing, people (at least in Britain), place a hyphen before the -ish suffix. There is a well known brand of ready made sauces in the UK, and they used to have TV ads featuring the same family. One seasonal ad played on the fact that people would have leftover turkey for some time after Christmas. The mother announced at supper time that they were having curry. The daughter speaks for them all when she says "It isn't turkey again, is it?" Mother says "Well, it's turk-ish".

– Michael Harvey
Apr 2 at 19:32






1




1





Some devout UK Jews describe themselves thus and denounce their less fervent brethren as being "Jew-ish".

– Michael Harvey
Apr 2 at 19:35







Some devout UK Jews describe themselves thus and denounce their less fervent brethren as being "Jew-ish".

– Michael Harvey
Apr 2 at 19:35















The reason "massive-ish" doesn't work very well is because "massive" means "very big" and "ish" means" not very", so "massive-ish" contradictory.

– Acccumulation
Apr 3 at 2:53





The reason "massive-ish" doesn't work very well is because "massive" means "very big" and "ish" means" not very", so "massive-ish" contradictory.

– Acccumulation
Apr 3 at 2:53













Isn't there an extra "that" in "They're so slow that sedentary that algae grows on their coats"? I see you are quoting the Indianapolis Star word by word, but I think it's a copy/paste error from the original National Geographic article

– Fabio Turati
Apr 3 at 9:21





Isn't there an extra "that" in "They're so slow that sedentary that algae grows on their coats"? I see you are quoting the Indianapolis Star word by word, but I think it's a copy/paste error from the original National Geographic article

– Fabio Turati
Apr 3 at 9:21


















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