Sketch
Posted by Masakim on January 06, 2002 at
In Reply to: Sketch/flash in the pan posted by Marian on January 06, 2002
: My kids are home from college
at the moment. They say that the word 'sketch' is in use among their friends there
as an adjective. So far as I can tell, it means 'questionable; may even prove
unsavory upon further examination.' I asked for examples of the word's use. They
gave me these:
: "We drove up to a hostel in Chicago. It was pretty sketch,"
one said. "What do you mean?" I asked. "It looked run-down. We weren't even sure
we wanted to check it out." Another:
: "An Internet friend can be sketch."
:
: Is anyone familiar with this term? On a slightly different tack, could this
be an example of a "flash in the pan," which, as I understand the phrase, refers
to something or someone that only momentarily basks in popularity before it fades
into obscurity?
From Cassell's Dictionary of Slang by Jonathon Green:
sketch adj. [1980s+] (US campus) risky, dangerous [SKETCHED OUT]
sketched
adj. [1980s+] (US campus) bad, bizarre, weird [SKETCHED OUT]
sketched out
adj. [198os+] (US campus) suffering paranoia due to the effects of hallucinogenic
drugs; thus _sketching_, coming down from a drug-induced high. [SKETCHY ]
sketchy
adj. 1 [late 19C+] flimsy, insubstantial, vague. 2 [1980s+] (US campus) confused,
unstable, strange, unsettling.
- Sketch Marian 01/06/02