Is "ish" really a word?

I've always been a fan of using "ish" on the end of some words. I think that it actually sounds kinda cool, yet edgy and hip. You know, it means that you have a guestimate on something, like time for instance. For example, (yes, I've decided to do a real life example for those of you who are not familiar with the term I am referring to) if I was going to meet you somewhere and you had called to ask me how long until i got there, i could reply "Oh, in about twenty-ish (also could be written 20-ish)". That would imply that i would be there in about 20 minutes. It might be a few more, it might be a few less. It can also be a good term that can denote location. For example, if you asked me where i parked the car in the parking lot, i could point in a direction and say "Over there-ish". You are now fully aware of the general location of the car, but you are not going to look in one specific location and get frustrated when you don't find it there. As you can see, I've italicized several of the words that i used to describe "ish". I hope that helps you get a feel for the true meaning of the term. It really is the perfect word for those who are not exact in life.

But like most words, i do believe that the phrase "ish" has it's place in society. It can be good for casual conversation, but i think that use of the word can get a little out of hand. Let's say that a guy is walking through the park with his girlfriend and he drops down on one knee, pulls out a ring and asks her "Will you marry me?" She's overcome with emotion, grabs her boyfriend, hugs him tight and replies "Yes...ish" What? How's that for a non-commital yes? Or how about you and your buddy are rock climbing. You're working your way up the cliff when all of the sudden you slip and your rope breaks. There you hang precariously on the edge of certain death. You yell out "HELP!" and your buddy reaches down and grabs your hand and says "Don't worry, I gotchya-ish". What? Don't worry because you "kinda" got me? What part of that statement is supposed to bring you comfort?

Or let's try one more example. You've basically had the worst day of your life; someone broke into your car, stole your ipod, told you that your dog died, and you got dumped by your special someone. Just as you get home, you walk in the front door and flip the lights on and then a couple of your friends jump out and yell "April Fools!...ish" Right when you hear the "April Fools!" you start to think that everything that had happened to you was a joke and that none of it was real. You start to think that you'll get everything back and things will go back to normal...but oh, that dreaded "ish". Now you're trying to figure out what part of what they said was a joke and what was real. You have anger, frustration and confusion all swirling inside your head while your friends stand around you and laugh. All of this = a bad time to use "ish".

So i ask each and every one of you, as you find new words to use and ways to use old words in new creative ways, or ways to add on parts to words to make new words, or ways to take two words and mash them together to make one superword, or ways to apply foreign languages to in your own speech, or whatever ways you like to use words, please be sensitive with their use. Am i making myself clear-ish?

So What's So Bad About Used-Car Salesmen?

Maybe it's just me, but it seems that used car salesmen are looked upon as some of the lowest forms of humanity in existence. I don't think that it's too far off to put them right below lawyers on the Least Liked List (from now on the Least Liked List will be referred to the 3L). Although that may be a little harsh, the common perception is that they are the ones who are always dealing crappy cars for premium prices. I'm sure that definitiely does happen, but i would like to bring an up an example of when the buyer stuck it to the seller.

In the movie Transformers, Sam goes with his dad to buy his first car. After a little bit of shopping, they decide to get an old beat-up yellow camaro. They pay a hefty price for a car in rough shape, but the car turned out to be much more than they could ever anticipate. Not only did that car have the ability to turn into a new Camaro (a value increase of about $35,000), it had the ability to transform into a giant war robot. Now, i'm not really up to date on the value of a Transformer, but let's just say $100 million. So who do you think got the short end of the stick on this one? Yep, chalk one up for the buyer!

But thinking about how successful car salesmen already are, just think about how successful they could be if they had a special power. What if there was one that could use Jedi mind tricks on a buyer? Right when he's trying to sell you a car that you are not even interested in or need, he does the little hand motion and says "This is the car you're looking for" and then you reply "This is the car i'm looking for" and then you buy the dang thing. Just be grateful that your used car salesman isn't a Jedi.

Although used-car salesmen rank relatively high on the 3L, i still think it could be much worse. i mean, some things aren't always as they seem. Maybe they're just grossly misunderstood. But anyhow, just remember that the next time that you buy a used car, you could be buying a Transformer. I don't know the odds of that happening, but i'll take my chances and buy a used car!