Whimsy On A Wednesday
Posted on: 12th Feb, 2025
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Whimsy on a Wednesday – Because Precision is Overrated (Apparently) and We Like Navigating Life with a Side of Absurdity!
The Mysterious Case of the ‘Ish’
The other day I arranged to meet a friend to deliver something. A straightforward transaction, or so I thought.
“What time?” I asked.
“About ten-ish,” came the texted reply.
I paused. Ten-ish.
Now, I consider myself a reasonably intelligent person. I can navigate the baffling world of modern technology, operate a cafetière without incident, and even hold a conversation without offending people—on the whole, mostly. But vague timekeeping? That’s where my brain throws in the towel and sulks in the corner.
Do I ask for clarification? Do I push back against this wishy-washy woolliness? Or do I simply accept my fate and turn up somewhere in the hazy, undefined realm of ish?
I am not really a fan of an ish . Unless of course, it’s me doing the ish-ing. Then I am deeply, unapologetically ish. My approach to life can be described as artistic chaos with whimsy and spontaneity when it suits me, but ruthlessly punctual when it comes to actual arrangements. If I say 10 o’clock, I mean 10 o’clock. Not ish. Not roughly. Not give or take half an hour and a croissant.
And yet, here I was, on the receiving end of an ish and it was throwing my entire morning into disarray.
The Elastic Nature of ‘Ish’
So, what does ten-ish actually mean?
- Is it a couple of minutes past ten?
- Is it a vague, middle-of-the-hour kind of thing?
- Does it stretch as far as 10:30, or is that pushing it into late-ish territory?
- What about 10:40? Is that still ish, or is it now officially “Sorry, I lost track of time”?
You see, ish is a slippery little creature. It’s like jelly and cream: wobbly, unreliable, and difficult to pin down. Some people might have a very narrow ish window (plus or minus five minutes), while others may operate on an ish spectrum so vast you could measure it in time zones.
I realised this was a prime example of the great divide between the chronologically disciplined and the laissez-faire ish-ers of the world.
“Punctuality is a virtue of the bored, darling!”
Some people live by their clocks. Others drift through time like an unmoored raft, floating vaguely towards a deadline whenever the tide washes up.
And those two groups? Natural enemies.
Field Research: Testing the ‘Ish’ Waters
Determined to uncover the truth, I devised a cunning plan.
I would arrive at exactly 10:00 and let my friend’s reaction and arrival be my guide. If they looked startled and said, “Oh, you’re early,” then ish clearly meant 10:15 or later. If they appeared on time then ish was a mere decorative flourish meaning precisely nothing at all. If they didn’t turn up until 10:40, then I would have to assume ish means “whenever I feel like it,” in which case all bets were off and we were dealing with an advanced level of fluidity.
However, my experiment was cruelly cut short. My friend fell ill and cancelled.
This meant two things:
- I still had no concrete evidence of the acceptable ish margins.
- I was now left with an unresolved philosophical dilemma AND an undelivered package.
Would I get another chance to crack the ish code? Or should I start demanding precise timings from everyone in my life? “Don’t ish me, I’ll ish you!” might have to become my new motto.
Next time someone tells me ish, I’m not setting a stopwatch, I’m not going to ponder over it for days like an obsessive loon, instead, I am going to take the wisdomous advice of my nest of readers. Please give me your near-ish-to-the-minute answers below.
And over at my Art Philosophy blog where art is Queen- do you want to turn your blobs into art? Then please Go here.
23 Comments on Ish Happens: The Art of Vague Timing and Social Chaos
the late phoenix
12th Feb, 2025 13:02
this is a load of ish.
life is all about………timing…
fashionably late, is that still a thing now for Gen Z?
mah dahlin the only time that matters is when you look at a clock and it says 11:11, that’s a Hapka, that’s a magic omen when your eyes gaze at a clock right at 11:11, that’s when you make a wish.
no but really that is bad, I mean it could be 10:01 or 10:59 which is really more in the realm of 11-ish then, but not 11:11.
*)
Jules Smith
12th Feb, 2025 16:02
Ish.. all of it.
Timing is everything.
Fashionably late is always going to be on trend.
I think your advice is very sound, my sweet *)
Al Kirk
12th Feb, 2025 14:02
Ish… I laughed. Try the answer to… “How long will this take?” The answer of course, “Two weeks.” For those not in the know, go watch Tom Hanks in the movie “The money pit.”
Recently I was at a local art framing studio…. Our artwork all laid out, matting, frames, glass. I asked calmly. “So, when should I expect these back?” The young lady artist in residence replied… “Two weeks.” I expanded the topic. “Is that contractor two weeks or artist two weeks?” She burst out laughing. “You”re the first person who got the joke.”
Jules Smith
12th Feb, 2025 16:02
Great film. I once had a house like that.
Al, If you’re saying ish could mean I’ve got to maybe wait two weeks or more for someone to show up I’m gonna lose it!
I hope your art falls within the 14 day period!
Nancy
12th Feb, 2025 14:02
Ish…I remember my son asking me, at the tender age of 7, “Is that real 5 minutes or mom 5 minutes?”. I grew up on the east coast, where 10:00 meant if you weren’t there at 9:50, you were late. Here in Southern CA, 10:00 means anywhere from 10:05-10:30. In my working days it was endlessly exasperating but now that I am blissfully retired (and fully integrated into the SoCal lifestyle), I’ve been known to say “how’s 10-ish?”.
Jules Smith
12th Feb, 2025 16:02
Ah, you’ve worked your way from early to late! From state to state! I kinda like that!
But, Nancy, now that you are in the ish clan, can you tell me what time you’d turn up if you were meeting at 10ish?
LL
12th Feb, 2025 15:02
When working in Mexico some years past I schooled my Mexican co-workers. I advised, “When my Swiss watch says noon, what time is it?” They looked at me confused and it wasn’t lost in translation.
“Noon” came the reply.
Yes, so if we’re to meet at noon, does that mean 1:30 pm?
The gene that connected a clock to an actual time took a while to connect. “No, we should meet at noon.”
“Why have I been waiting 90 minutes for you to show up?”
They quoted that back to me many times. “Noon means noon, right Jefe?”
Yes it does,
Jules Smith
12th Feb, 2025 16:02
Right! of course, LL. I would expect nothing less than absolute punctuality from you. I like that. I know where I stand.
Roger B.
12th Feb, 2025 16:02
Yanks of a certain age remember Ish Kabibble. Look him up, Julesy!
Jules Smith
12th Feb, 2025 16:02
Ish Kabibble? What is this thing, Roger? Hold on and let me look it up…
Well, my first thought was “Doesn’t he look a lot like Jim Carey”
“It doesn’t matter to me” is what that means! Well, let me tell you ish matters to me!
drjim
13th Feb, 2025 04:02
Hilarious, Miss Jules!
Jules Smith
13th Feb, 2025 09:02
Thank you, drjim! Out of the drama, smiles!
Masher
13th Feb, 2025 07:02
Nice.
As posts go, that was probably one of your best… ish.
Jules Smith
13th Feb, 2025 08:02
It only goes to show that people do work at their best when they are their most stressed!
Paul M
13th Feb, 2025 14:02
Was your friend “sick” or “sick-ish”?
According to scientists time is relative, so ‘-ish’ depends on where you sit at the moment, and quite possibly one’s profession or political bent. Us engineer-types tend to be exact; 10:00am means “on the dot”…or more better, a minute or two early…even if that means hanging for a few before entering said establishment. But if you’re really hungry-ish (not quite famished but your morning scone has worn off too soon) and you want a table right away, if the other party is late-ish then they can wade thru the place to find you…tough darts.
Brilliant post.
Paul M
13th Feb, 2025 14:02
Incidentally, it’s Thursday morning-ish here in The Colonies…so a I’m a little late-ish on the comment due to that relative time zone stuff.
Jules Smith
14th Feb, 2025 10:02
Oh my word! Time zone ish-ness is way too long!
Well, I think she was sick-ish.
I’m very with you on the “on-the-dot” Paul, and “maybe a little early to assess the venue.” Then you can sit with good command of the room and carefully assess all exits and possible threats, like, ” Is that old codger over there going to try and make off with my cream tea?”
I met with my friend yesterday and this time she gave me an actual time. I explained I liked that better and she said that sometimes, ishness is needed in case of road works, feeling a bit slow, trouble with the bacon… ya know. However, she did say it should only be a 15-minute window. I can live with that.
Paul M
14th Feb, 2025 15:02
Life IS too short to get the undies in a bunch over such things…how-evah, a 15 minute window does offer leeway for the unexpected, like aliens landing and doing weird science things. I do like getting there a bit early to access what you say, this is important…and h/t to you for employing such measures (maybe an LL influence?).
Had a friend [young] State Trooper friend come back from their vacation trip to a city now overrun, he was exhausted, said his young wife was happy as a clam. He was on high yellow alert the entire time, never could enjoy his time there…she had no idea (as it should be with us males, it’s why we never sit with our backs to the door).
Jess
13th Feb, 2025 14:02
I’m thinking the proper response would have been to text “Ten-ish is a really bad time.” and waiting for a response. It might have narrowed it down, but then again, it might have led to an answer “Is eleven-ish better?”
Jules Smith
14th Feb, 2025 10:02
Why didn’t I think of that? That’s a great response, Jess.
Rather than ish, why don’t people say, “I’ll be there at 10.17. That way they can be on time or early. Or they can become far more interesting by actually arriving at 10.17 on the dot. That would intrigue me.
Thank you for the visit!
Annie-Su of Runswick
13th Feb, 2025 23:02
I can say with all the authority of an expert witness that ish is the wriggle room that allows for the unfortunate and unpredictable occurrences en route to our meeting. 10ish means that I aim to be there at 10 however my furry alarm clock may fail to wake me in a timely manner. Not wanting to appear unkempt and uncaring I take a bit of personal hygiene time making me run behind a 10am schedule. We’re now in -ish territory! Or I get caught behind a funeral procession (which almost happened today). Of course where possible ish should never extend beyond 15 minutes. Any more than that and etiquette demands some form of communication to notify a late arrival.
I hope this helps Jules. Of course a good friend should always clarify if there is any doubt for what kind of friend would leave to pondering over this for days.
Jules Smith
14th Feb, 2025 10:02
Yes, I think you explained it beautifully, Miss Annie-Su!
I want a furry alarm clock. I’m guessing yours meows?
Well, you know what I’m like. I thought I could deal with it without asking but turns out I can’t. I am now going to go with ish means a 15-minute allowance.
Annie-Su of Runswick
13th Feb, 2025 23:02
I can say with all the authority of an expert witness that ish is the wriggle room that allows for the unfortunate and unpredictable occurrences en route to our meeting. 10ish means that I aim to be there at 10 however my furry alarm clock may fail to wake me in a timely manner. Not wanting to appear unkempt and uncaring I take a bit of personal hygiene time making me run behind a 10am schedule. We’re now in -ish territory! Or I get caught behind a funeral procession (which almost happened today). Of course where possible ish should never extend beyond 15 minutes. Any more than that and etiquette demands some form of communication to notify a late arrival.
I hope this helps Jules. Of course a good friend should always clarify if there is any doubt for what kind of friend would leave to pondering over this for days.
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