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?