What range of time does adding "-ish" on mean to you?

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AF1193@reddit

10-15 either way, any longer and its “half 1ish / half 2ish”

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Princes_Slayer@reddit

For me I’m aiming to be there at 2, but can’t predict delays to transport. Typically I’m early but if I’m late due to unexpected delays, it’s my excuse

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rev-fr-john@reddit

If I say 2ish then I'll be there between 2 and 2:59, it's also worth remembering that precisely nothing will happen untill I arrive, therefore it's impossible for me to be late.

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Njosnavelin93@reddit

I'd always specify after "so 2 o'clock then, yeah?" Then I'd want it to be as close to 2 as possible but probably wouldn't say anything regardless of how late they were.

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leviticusreeves@reddit

2ish is anytime between 2pm and 2:30pm

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Milvusmilvus@reddit

If I said 2ish I'd mean 2 to 215, not before 2.

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Mumique@reddit

Yes, 2ish means 'I might get there at 2 or be a little late'. If you show up at 1:45 I may be slightly put out

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Depends what for. If someone is aiming for 2 and gets there 15 minutes early it might not affect me at all. If I'm meeting a friend to go to the cinema and they're waiting around for about 15 minutes until I get there it's no big deal.

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Born-Stress4682@reddit

I get that, but it is also quite close to two like u r aiming for two, and u get there early

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Annjak@reddit

To me 15 mins either way. To my ex husband a 4 hour window after 2.30pm

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bowak@reddit

If it's meeting up in town I'd say 2ish covers about 5 to 1 to ten or quarter past 2. If arranging to meet at a festival campsite I'd take it to mean aim for 2 but the window is about 1 to 4.

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aurora_ethereallight@reddit

I'm with you. 10-15 minutes max.

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George_Salt@reddit

Depends. If you're arranging a meeting a fortnight in advance then 2-ish means it's still to be decided closer to the time. If it's for tomorrow, it's plus or minus fifteen minutes and if you're running any later you'll ring and say so.

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OnlymyOP@reddit

the whole point of -ish is it's undeterminate.

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Kind_Breadfruit_7560@reddit

30 minutes either side is incredibly impolite in my mind. If we arranged to meet at 2ish and you showed up 30 minutes later than 2 I'd be very annoyed. An hour is just ridiculous.

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Fancy_Date_2640@reddit

If it's normally a 2 hour drive but there might be traffic, you aim to leave at 12 and say you'll be there at 2ish. If there's a 20 mins+ delay I would text them.

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Kind_Breadfruit_7560@reddit

If i was meeting someone that was a two hour drive away I wouldn't be using ish at all. I'd give an exact time and if it was looking like I was going to be late I'd let them know ASAP.

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concretepigeon@reddit

It’s context dependent too. Like if you’re driving across the country to someone’s house then the window for a 2-ish eta is going to be larger from someone round the corner. Or if there’s a reason out of your hand for why you may be delayed.

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lapodufnal@reddit

Yep and when you’re communicating the time. If we’re a month away and it’s a long drive and I’m telling you I expect to be with you at 3ish it’s a very much an hour either side (maybe more) but it’s to give an idea I’ll be there for dinner plans but not lunch. If I text you at 12 I’m setting off and I’ll be with you at 3ish it’s likely less than 30min leeway because I’ve based it off the current Maps estimation and the ‘ish’ is just accounting for traffic

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JustAnotherFEDev@reddit

Sometime between the time I said and when I remember where I'm supposed to be 🤷‍♂️

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SwordTaster@reddit

15 minutes each way, with a text at the 10 minute mark and a call at the 15 minute mark to make sure that if theyre running late due to traffic or whatever I've not just dropped them for nothing

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Meowskiiii@reddit

In your example, between 2 and 2:15.

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Statement-Acceptable@reddit

When I want to play a ball and racket game with Sean Connery I say 10-ish.

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RustyBucket4745@reddit

I'd agree. I'd assume 10-15mins late and start getting annoyed at the person by twenty past.

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Equal-Competition930@reddit

About 10 minutes but very flexible as long you let me know because I have trust issues.

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bawde@reddit

Depends how far away it is. 2ish at midday means within 15 mins. 2ish a day or two before could be more like 3.

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Gethund@reddit

Cuppa cuppa eras.

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New_Line4049@reddit

I think it depends where youre coming from and what reasonable delays look like. When I travel across the country to see my parents my initial arrival time is when I should get there assuming average traffic conditions, but we all understand the "ish" is to account for traffic, which may add several hours.

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technobob79@reddit

My thoughts are that if you care about any kind of threshold then better not to use "ish". I'd say it's around 15 mins +/- either side but I think it's entirely dependent on the person. If you've got someone who is not very timely/punctual then they will have a very wide definition.

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ratherbefuddled@reddit

What about Tuesday-ish?

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Virtuous-Patience@reddit

-ish means neither of you are bothered and happy to hang out waiting. Usually used when meeting someone at their home of a nice pub where first one their gets a drink, something to read and enjoys their own company. If you care about punctuality then you set an actual time…

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pimpmychaiselounge@reddit

2-ish to me means let’s send another text around 1:45 to confirm a time

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caligula__horse@reddit

-Ish means in between the given unit and the next conventional unit, for me. If we talk about time 2ish is before 2.15 which is the next conventional arrangeable meeting time after the given unit 2pm (sure you can arrange at 2.05, but that's weird and unusual).

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char11eg@reddit

Depends how in advance this is. If it’s like a week or so in advance, and I say ‘yeah I should be free around 2-ish’, I’d probably clarify what time I can actually make it to the place on the day we’re meant to be meeting. If it’s on the day, then yeah, 10-15 mins probably. And probably not really either side? I’d not expect to be *early* to an ‘ish’, I’d expect it only to be making up for some moderate lateness.

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NovelShelter7489@reddit

Sort of, kind of, hints of.

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Giorggio360@reddit

Depends on what the event is and how far the person is coming. If it’s one other person or a small group with minimal travel time for everyone, ish to me means five mins before to maybe 15 mins after. It’s an allowance that you aren’t going to turn up bang on but you’re generally aiming for that time. If you’re getting public transport, that’s the time you’ve put in to arrive by. If it’s a bigger group I think it could be half an hour-45 mins later. Your presence is less essential so you’ve got more leeway. Similarly, if you’re travelling a long way - intercity drive, for example - or have another prior commitment, ish has a much bigger leeway implied. You’re aiming for 2 but might be twenty minutes early if the traffic is good or an hour late because it’s bad, which is within an acceptable threshold.

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NothingButSquids@reddit

If its a 20-minute drive, 2-ish might mean 2 - 2.10. If its an hour drive, 2 - 2.20 If its 5 hours, 2ish really becomes "sometime after 2, hopefully before 3, but I'll message you if it's later than that" I try not to arrive places early unless I know that's okay. So I'd say 1.55 is okay for 2-ish, with a "sorry I'm early". Before that, I'll find a way to kill time.

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Content_Averse@reddit

Depends how far in the future it is. If I tell you today I'll be there at 7ish I mean 7-7:15 maybe, 7:20 at a push. If I tell you for something two weeks in advance 7ish I mean it's an early evening thing not late night or afternoon.

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sazzlysarah@reddit

5 minutes before and 15 minutes after. 2ish is 1.55 to 2.15. 2.30ish is 2.25 - 2.45.

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jcmush@reddit

My brother? Inshallah

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Dull_Banana5349@reddit

Depends. In work it would be anywhere half an hour either side depending on how long my appointment lasted. I'd only use this as an estimate for getting back to the office, when visiting people I'd be absolutely on time. In normal life then probably 15 minutes either side of we were meeting at a place. If I was going to their home then I may be a bit later, but never earlier!

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No_Art_1977@reddit

2ish means 2. I hate being late but if its a pal im happy to wait til 2:30

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Naelana101@reddit

Depends on the circumstances. If I am meeting one person out of the house then max 15mins late because it's rude to make them wait for longer. If it's a larger group and they will not be waiting alone then up to 30mins would be acceptable. If I'm going to someone's house (or they are coming to mine) and there is no meal or other commitments which will be delayed, then from 2 up to 3pm would count as 2 ish. Without the full circumstances it's difficult to give my opinion on your "debate".

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Sensitive_Ad_9195@reddit

If someone says come over to their house at 2ish I absolutely wouldn’t arrive before 2:15!

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Naelana101@reddit

I've never understood this. If they want me there at 2:30 then tell me 2:30, I'm a prompt person so if you tell me 2 I'll probably be there at 2! If I tell someone to arrive at 1 I'm ready to receive them at 1. I am not going to be upset if they are a little later but why say a time you don't mean?

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CleanMasterpiece6911@reddit

If someone says 2ish, im there at 5 minutes to. I have bug about people being late so im always on time, i get its different

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Nancy_True@reddit

15 mins before, up to 30 mins after.

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megthebat49@reddit

As an autistic person I refuse to use ish when specifying a time and make others do the same. Instead of 2 ish I’d ask them to specify the period in which they plan to arrive. 2 ish could mean 1:45-2:30 or it could mean 2-2:20 or it could mean 1-3. It depends on the specific situation and this I just don’t accept ish as a valid measure of time. (And yes my family hates me for this, my friends all agree though lol)

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Intelligent-Iguana@reddit

I completely agree! Please don't use 'ish'. Tell me between 1:50 and 2:10, and that's fine (so long as they stick to it). This way I'll be ready and waiting from 1:30 onwards. I have a friend who never gives a time and just says 'I'll see you soon' - drives me mad!

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Electrical_Spirit917@reddit

10 min

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Rubberfootman@reddit

15 minutes either way. 2-ish means I’m aiming for 2, but can’t promise it.

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GingerSnapBiscuit@reddit

I dunno about "either way" here. If I say 5ish and someone expects me from 4:45... what? 5 would be the earliest I would ever be there if I say "5ish".

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aquariusangst@reddit

I feel like if I said I'd be somewhere at 5ish, there'd be a chance I'd arrive at 4:45, say if I was doing something before that didn't have an exact end time, but there wouldn't be any expectation for the person I was meeting to be there yet Also though, when I do an -ish I update whoever as soon as it's clear when I'll actually be there, but again, if I'm early, wouldn't expect them to be

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Xaphios@reddit

I'd go with 4.55 to 5.15 at someone's house. Out and about may well be an either way, specially if I'm already in the vicinity for other things beforehand.

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RetiredFromIT@reddit

I hold a semi-regular game session. My instruction is for folk to arrive "around 11am", adding "anyone arriving before 10:30 will be handed the vacuum cleaner" (or "moving tables", or "preparing lunch"...).

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SlightlyIncandescent@reddit

It's contextual depending on who it is and what you're doing as well. 2ish in a slightly more formal setting like a customer means give or take 5 minutes to me. 2ish to my friend where we're just working out at his house and/or having a beer means give or take 20+ minutes

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RetiredFromIT@reddit

I agree. In my mind, "2, allowing for traffic and/or bus times". Personally, I'd prefer to err on the early side, even if it means arriving *too* early and quietly waiting in a park or cafe nearby. But 15 minutes either side is what I'd expect from others.

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Eyupmeduck1989@reddit

Agreed, means that there might be a few issues that I can’t predict that might affect my arrival time by a few minutes e.g. traffic

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SaddleBishopJoint@reddit

Seconded. Outside of this it is closer to half past, at which point it would be 2:30-ish.

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fatknits@reddit

This is how I understand it. However, when I say 2ish, I mean "I will be there perfectly on time because I am ridiculously anal, but I will say 2ish and give the leeway because if I say 2 then I will expect 2 and I will go internally insane if you're more than 2 minutes later".

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Railuki@reddit

This is how I see it

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syphonuk@reddit

This. In my head, on the hour and on the half hour are the primary time allotments and the ish fills the gaps between them. If I say half 5 ish, I'm thinking anywhere between 5.15 and 5.45.

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robdelterror@reddit

This is my meaning, but I'd double it for an expectation.

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Katkatkat_kat@reddit

15 mins.

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Realistic_Wedding@reddit

If I say 2ish, I’ll be aiming for 1.30 so I can sit quietly for a bit. If my brother-in-law says 2ish, he means any time after 3. If I act surprised and affronted by this, I merely prove myself incapable of learning from experience.

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oudcedar@reddit

For me that’s an hour either side which is why I don’t like “ish” times as perpetually people will have 15 minutes in their head, then ease that to 30 or 45 as they feel more at ease with their lateness.

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Sensitive_Ad_9195@reddit

Depends how far away we’re talking, if it’s oh we should meet in 2 weeks time about 2ish - could be any time 12-4. If it’s like same day or day before I’d say half an hour. 2:30 is 2ish

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Rednwh195m@reddit

2ish means 2. I just like to give the impression I am just so casual in my outlook but really just a Billy no mates and nothing else to do. 😇

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Bend_Latter@reddit

14 minutes either side

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ramapyjamadingdong@reddit

2ish is largely 1.45-2.15 but I make no promises and it could be 3. I dont do "ish" with anyone except my parents, my in laws or best friend and only going to theirs, never out and about.

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RetiredFromIT@reddit

For me, I think 15 minutes either side.

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Spiritual_Weather656@reddit

I had this happen on a date once where I said we could meet around 4ish and he turned up at 4 and I hadn't even left yet. I got there quarter past so in my mind, I still made it for 4ish. But to me ISH means we need to clarify sooner to the actual time to finalise plans. It doesn't mean turn up whenever around that time. It just means I can't guarantee a time yet ask me later.

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Kingreaper@reddit

To me -ish probably means \~10 minutes+\~1/6 of their travel time. If they're travelling an hour to the location, that's 20 minutes on either side. Half an hour travels, that's 15 minutes. If it's a five hour journey, they can be an hour off and I'll generally understand as long as they keep updated.

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Judging_Jester@reddit

2-3 days either side of the time given

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Trivius@reddit

Depends on the specificity of the time units used

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WoodHammer40000@reddit

+/- 8 minutes

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No_Watercress8348@reddit

15 mins either side. But mentally to be I’d be there before 2 😂

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rabidrob42@reddit

15 mins at the most either way so 2ish would range from quarter to, to quarter past 2.

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Bitter-Crazy4119@reddit

I’d agree 10-15 minutes if meeting out. If I said I’d get to someone’s house for 2ish (just to hang out, I knew they weren’t cooking or anything) then up to 2.30

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Kind_Breadfruit_7560@reddit

7 minutes either side of the number you're ishing. Any later or earlier I'd uses the nearest 10 minute interval.

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Delicious_Link6703@reddit

Yes I agree. 10/15 mins. Any longer and I’d prefer someone to tell me 2.30-ish !

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NobleRotter@reddit

People who do this just annoy me (my wife is one of them). Just give me a time. Why throw deliberate vagueary into the mix? I have many conversations like this: "Let's meet at 3ish" "Ok, I'll be there at five-to and will leave at five-past unless I hear from you" My wife says it's rude but I think it is far less rude than expecting people to wait around for you because you're too disorganised to be on time. We also have lots of conversations that start "where were you? I got there just after 3 and you had left". These don't always go as well for me

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KingofCalais@reddit

Id say within 5 minutes. If ill be later then ill classify it as ‘about 2, 2:15’.

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pouchey2@reddit

I think it depends on the context. If inviting someone round my house, 2ish would be 1:45 to 2:15. If meeting out somewhere, I'd say more 1:55-2:05. any earlier/later and I think a message would be warranted (I either don't want to leave them hanging around, nor do I want to be left just waiting).

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Stuvas@reddit

2ish to me means I'm relying on public transport, I'll update you when I get on the bus to give you a 20 minute warning that I'm going to be arriving soon. Quite often I'll end up waiting 50 minutes for our buses that run every half hour. I still don't understand how that works when I get to the bus stop 5 minutes before the bus is due. Unfortunately, 2ish means anywhere between 3 and 4pm to one of my friends.

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Clean-Ear-6004@reddit

I agree, if you say a time and ish it should mean you will be there as close to that time as possible, 15 mins each way as you say is perfect.

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gemmajenkins2890@reddit

15 mins either way, allowing a few extra mins Grace if there has been communication that one of the party is on their way, will be there soon etc Also if someone says '2, half 2ish' im allowing until about quarter to 3 - so an extra 15 mins - especially if it has been communicated that they're definitely on the way etc

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sjintje@reddit

Surprised everyone saying it's symmetrical. Between 5 minutes early, probably up to thirty minutes late.

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SirGuestWho@reddit

15 minutes either side of the time stated. Any longer than that and you are out of ish and are now entering an unagreed time period.

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Conscious-Dust-4942@reddit

Always after the hour and up to 20 minutes.

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Ruadhan2300@reddit

"Ish" to me just means "traffic permitting" I think 10-15 minutes would be a decent margin of error before I stop thinking "its 2-ish, where are they?" And start thinking they're late.

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s_dalbiac@reddit

No more than a few minutes either side of that. I'll only say 2ish if that's the time I'm aiming to arrive for but I can't guarantee I'll make it for then (e.g. if I'm driving a long distance to meet somebody and relying on traffic or heading somewhere after work without being sure exactly when I'll finish).

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Scottish_Therapist@reddit

Yeah 15 minutes around a given time. This might vary from area to area, but "ish" to me is always a time within the rounding area to the specified time. So if you say 2 and its common in the area to round 1:45 too 2 or round 2:15 down to 2 then its 15 minutes. If you live somewhere where they are more precise and only would round within 5 minutes then ish is now 5 minutes either side.

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torihe@reddit

Oh my god! I had this situation the other week with a date I went on! I cooked lunch for 1:30ish, they thought that meant anytime up to an HOUR after?!? Like what the hell, I was so confused

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slimkid504@reddit

I think it adds a 30 min cushion

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suki10@reddit

30 mins is too long. Just say 230 at that point.

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slimkid504@reddit

Yeah I’m not very popular when it comes to timekeeping

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Slothjitzu@reddit

Ish means "after the last increment and before the next one" to me. So like 20-25 mins either way seems fine, otherwise you should just say half past.

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JoesRealAccount@reddit

Depends on the situation. If I'm just waiting for you at home or some other casual setting then maybe 10 minutes earlier, or 30 minutes later. If i'm out on a street or in a bar waiting for you alone then I expect you to be there max 10 minutes late, or otherwise to be apologising profusely for being so late. If a person consistently can't show up when they say they will without a good explanation then I assume they don't care about me.

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Coyltonian@reddit

Would def not be thrown off by 15 minutes. Also depends on how far in advance the plans are. If it is “meet at 2000-ish” the day before or early that morning then 20 minutes even half-an-hour at a push wouldn’t really annoy me (though would prolly expect an update if they were going to be more than 15 minutes behind), but if someone says at 1530 “I’ve got something to do, but should be there for 1700-ish” I’m expecting more 5-10 minutes max either way. Also depends on the people. If I say <time>-ish I will rarely be more than 5 minutes early or 10-15 minutes late. My wife will likely be there 15 minutes early and hates being later than the stated time -ish or not.

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DuoDriver@reddit

10-15 for me.

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BrexitVoter@reddit

2ish means 15 either side; If it's prefaced with "apologies I'm travelling from x, can't exactly predict but I'm aiming for 2 ISH" Is a lot more leeway. Depends what you're doing, also. If it's gonna be later and say, they know an hour in advance (just got on final train connection) and they tell you, oh it's been delayed it'll be half past... More reasonable Polite would be sending a Costa gift card and saying "sorry, travel is chaos, here's a coffee while you wait" The "15 mins early is on time" and "I leave at 02:01" people are living in past ideals and also will suffer greatly for their inability to be patient. Better accepting that now

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No_Psychology_8169@reddit

For me it depends on the context, if I'm going out to meet someone somewhere and they say 2ish, I'd want them to be within 10 minutes... But if someone's coming to my house one afternoon and they say they'll drop in about 2, then for me anything between 1:40 and 3 is basically fine.

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bogusalt@reddit

I'd say 10-15 minutes, but as someone who uses "ish" a lot, I'd never use it in the context of meeting someone at a time. For me it's only used when there's implicit flexibility in the time of the event. For instance, "I need to drop something off at your house, I'll drop by on my way back from X other errand, it'll be around 8 ish, is that OK?" If I was arranging to meet someone, or there's some scenario where the other person would be actively waiting for me, then ish isn't appropriate, that's an exact time kind of thing.

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snazyyeira@reddit

2ish’ to me means 1:50 to 2:10. After 2:15, you're not ‘ish’ you're just late 😄

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BeatificBanana@reddit

Nah that's silly to me, if it's such a narrow window then "ish" is meaningless. If you absolutely need someone to meet you no later than 2:10 otherwise you're going to consider them late and get annoyed, don't say 2ish, just say 2! "ish" to me implies way more flexibility than 10 minutes

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InteractionFast9213@reddit

10-15 minutes after the agreed time, never before.

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OldEquation@reddit

I’d take two-ish, or “around two”, to mean closer to two than to one or three, that is, between 1.30 and 2.30. If someone said “two-thirty-ish” I’d assume between 2.15 and 2.45. Likewise “around 10 past two” I’d take to mean 2.05 to 2.15. If I was told “about 2.13” I’d assume 2.12.30 to 2.13.30. Etc.

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OverlyAdorable@reddit

If I say 2 ish, I'll try to get there for 2 but traffic could make me early/late. I've known a lot of people who say they'll be there for 2 ish and they'll leave at 2.45 to get there for gone 3 and say it's close enough. The most frustrating is our cleaners. They say they'll get there at lunchtime ish. They've shown up at 10AM one week, 3PM another, and not at all on a couple of other weeks. I get no answer when I try phoning. How is 10 or 3 lunchtime? Lunchtime ish for me is between 11.30 and 2

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slangivar@reddit

It depends on the context. If I'm meeting you for lunch the timeframe will be smaller than if I'm arriving at your house after driving the length of the country.

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BeatificBanana@reddit

For me, and I have no idea why this is: 2ish would mean 2 - 2:30. Any later than 2:30 and it's closer to 3 than it is to 2, so I no longer consider it 2ish. But also, and this is where I might be a bit odd, 2ish could never mean *before* 2 to me. If I say I'll come round at 2ish, I mean 2:00 is the absolute earliest I'll turn up. Maybe it's because I hate when people turn up to my house earlier than the time they said, as I might still be mid brushing my teeth or on the loo. So I would never arrive somewhere earlier than the time I had given. I don't mind when people are late, though (unless it's something genuinely time sensitive, like catching a train) whereas I know many people are bothered by lateness. I'm bothered by earliness.

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Ordinary-Squash-6358@reddit

Around 15 minutes either way, normally after the time .

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Dangerous_Diamond_43@reddit

If some one is using "ish" they are not going to be early so I would say up to 15 minutes late

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Emergency_Mistake_44@reddit

Depends what the purpose is. If I'm meeting you for a coffee on a free afternoon and you say 2ish, I don't mind you rocking up at 2:20. If I'm picking you up to go somewhere and you say you'll be ready around 2ish, I'm expecting you to be ready by 2:05. Don't ask me to explain the difference.

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DontCatchThePigeon@reddit

A few minutes before, no more than 10-15 after. But it depends on the people and the event, we've got one set of friends where it means 'we'll text you on the morning and give you a better idea, then again when we're leaving' which could be meeting maybe an hour later if we're at home, but they'll turn up early to eg a birthday party. It suits us, but I could see it would annoy others.

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Disastrous_Meat5657@reddit

2ish means I’m aiming for 2 but will extend to 2.15 due to external circumstances eg travel, walking to the actual meeting location, I’m slow etc

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Banes_Addiction@reddit

Depends on how specific the time is. If you say 2ish, that's like, up to 2:20. If you say 2:10ish, that's only up to 2:15.

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ClemDog16@reddit

Essentially we will meet at basically 2 (could be slightly before or after) but whoever gets there first will wait for 10-15 mins then increasingly passive aggressively text/call the other person to see how long they will be

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Cardabella@reddit

Depends... If I'm arriving after a long drive then it could be an hour or more delayed if there's traffic. If we're meeting for lunch no more than 10 mins. Drinks or a party in the evening up to half an hour late is ok, early is rude.

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Iammysupportsystem@reddit

20 min max.

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shelbyeatenton@reddit

I was gonna say 15 minutes so I’m kinda on the same page as you

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Swimming_Possible_68@reddit

15 - 20 minutes. Without the 'ish' 10 minutes.

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wondered-bongo@reddit

Ish, for me, always means the time or just after. Agree with the 10-15 mins. So 2 ish is anywhere from 2 to 2:15. Anything later is just rude.

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RRW2020@reddit

If they said 2, I would use the 10 min either side 15 at most rule. If they said 2-ish, I would think 20 min either side but be a bit more flexible if it was like 30

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fgbTNTJJsunn@reddit

5 mins usually. But depends what we R talking about and who I'm talking to.

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ConfectionHelpful471@reddit

As on time should mean at least 5 minutes before the stated time, ish to me is just used for a late arrival that’s at least 5 minutes but no later than 20 minutes after the stated time

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mountainmissions@reddit

Depends...are you waiting for me in a public place or are you inviting me to your home? If it's your house 2ish could mean 3 from my experience (of other people...I'm usually on time 😂)

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ArcTan_Pete@reddit

I would say you're correct 10 minutes either side 15 is just about acceptable 20 minutes and you better have a reason

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Suspicious-Movie4993@reddit

I’m not punctual, so if I say 2ish, I’m aiming for 2 but it’s likely to be after but as close to that as possible. Saying ‘ish’ should set an expectation not to be upset what time I arrive, but if it’s an individual alone then it would be reasonable for them to be pi55ed if it was more than 15-20 after the suggested time. If it’s a group setting then they all just need to deal with it.

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cosmic_monsters_inc@reddit

Half an hour either side.

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djashjones@reddit

My mate's "ish" is anywhere between 2- 4 hours.

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Ganondaddydorf@reddit

ugh same. used to have to tell a friend we'd be meeting 2 hours earlier and she'd still be up to an hour late. no text updates or anything. just 'i'm on my way' and 'won't be long'. love her to death but she was hard work lol.

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Leifang666@reddit

For me I'd use it when making plans for a day such as "then we'll get to xxxx around 2ish". Could be used when someone is travelling a long way to meet up. On the second I'd expect an update with an actual time. On the first it wouldn't matter.

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ButterscotchSure6589@reddit

Ish is the SI unit for approximation

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PolgaraEsme@reddit

Depends on context. If someone is travelling from nearby, 10-15 mins either way. If someone is driving from one end of the country to the other, I’d say an hour either way.

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Ok-Albatross-1508@reddit

Somewhere between 2.30 and 4. Saying 2ish and the turning up at 2 is weird, and turning before is downright rude.

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freexe@reddit

It depends so much on context. If it's a party and you are close very friends - turning up early to help setup can be really nice.

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RemarkableMeeting883@reddit

10/ 15 mins either way. 20 at most

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seklas1@reddit

“-ish” means “I’ll be late, hopefully no more than like 20 minutes” 😅

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AuRon_The_Grey@reddit

I'd say like 15-20 minutes either way.

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SingerFirm1090@reddit

I feel it rather depends on the other person(s) interpretation of 'ish'. I could name my friends for whom 'ish' is +/- 30 minutes or others for who it means +/- 1 minute.

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PeasTea@reddit

I'm late to everything so 2-ish is anywhere from 1:45 to 2:30

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Hot-Health7006@reddit

Agree with the majority that says 10-15mins either side. If early doesn't matter if meeting at a public place, but if going to someone's house, I would inform them I would be earlier than said. If later, I would inform as soon as possible with an apology and give a rough estimate of how late I would be.

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ChaiseLounge66@reddit

Depends. If I say -ish to meeting my friend for coffee when we both live in the same area, probably 10-15 minutes. If I’m travelling to see my father (or vice versa) who lives 5hr 30mins away then there’s a lot more play.

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-_-Orange@reddit

+\- 20 mins for me

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qgwheurbwb1i@reddit

Exactly what you said OP! If I say "3-ish", the latest I want to arrive is 3:15. If I were going to be later than that, I'd call or text to let them know.

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squigs@reddit

I'd say it means aim for 2 assuming typical delays and practicalities of schedules. If an hourly bus gets to the nearest stop at 2:15 and it takes 5 minutes then 2:20 is fine.

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No_Potato_4341@reddit

About 20-30 minutes from the time. So 1ish for me could mean from half 12 to half 1.

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divine-silence@reddit

Meet at 2ish gives you 15 mins each way. After 2.15 it should have been a meet at 2.30is arrangement.

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bahumat42@reddit

It depends, if all parties are near to the event than yeah 10-15. If people are travelling I could extend that out to half an hour each side or more.

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s_dalbiac@reddit

No more than a few minutes either side of that. I'll only say 2ish if that's the time I'm aiming to arrive for but I can't guarantee I'll make it for then (e.g. if I'm driving a long distance to meet somebody and relying on traffic or heading somewhere after work without being sure exactly when I'll finish).

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Craft_on_draft@reddit

As someone that hates being late, it means I will be there at 13:30 and walk around the block until 13:59

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Accomplished-Fix3841@reddit

It depends on how much travel is involved. If we're both within a reasonable distance, then 10-15 min on either side. I'm always early, but don't expect anyone else to be. If the other person is, say, taking the train from a couple of hours away and then walking for a bit, then they might even be an hour late. But I'd hope for some updates via text in the meanwhile.

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cuccir@reddit

Very generally speaking I reckon if you use ish to specify a time, then it's 15 minutes max beforehand and up to half an hour after, depending on the circumstances. The time after really depends on the circumstances. If you say "I'll meet you at the cafe at 2ish" and then show up at half 2, that's pretty late as I've been having to wait somewhere for a long time. If someone is driving across the country to my house and says that they'll arrive at 2ish, then show up at 2:25, that's probably fine as I've had extra time to get ready.

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Electronic-Fennel828@reddit

I’d say it means 15 either side, but it’d be half an hour before I started getting annoyed.

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badgersruse@reddit

15 minutes, but it depends how you say it. And your facial expression. 15 if said with confidence, lots more if said like an expression of hope, and unknown if it’s followed by ‘maybe’.

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dave_gregory42@reddit

\+/- 15 mins

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Key_Chocolate_3275@reddit

If you’re meeting out 10mins, 15mins is acceptable but I’d be annoyed if I hadn’t received a “I’ll be there soon” text. If it’s someone coming to your house and it’s not for a scheduled meal or thing I think any time within an hour is acceptable, but appreciate the “leaving home see you in a bit” text

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HiroPr0tag0nist@reddit

15 either side.

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RugMuncherNobPuncher@reddit

Exactly the same- 10/15 minutes before or after. Unless I say 2 or 3ish, I mean 2:30, closer to 3.

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Whole_Weekend8670@reddit

I’d think 10-15 minutes either side too

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