Context of esque.

[Headsprouter]

In what context can esque be used? A friend of mine used esque to compare a number to another, when I told him it could only be used in contexts such as "Swansong-esque" or "Weasel-esque". Is this true? The quote is "...150-esque..."

I was asking his Crafting level in GW2. The arguments people have in video games...

I'm an uptight English student, which is why this thread exists.

I'm hoping for something like...5 replies. That might do. More would make me happy. If you agree or disagree justify yourself, too. As much as possible. Act like an uptight English student.

 

[Amethyst Wind]

I've never heard it used in that context before, it's sometimes interchangeable with '-ish', which could be used in this situation, I wouldn't worry too much about it, the meaning still got across.

I'm an easygoing English teacher, which is why this thread was replied to. (Yes yes, ending with a preposition and all that but it copied your syntax.)

 

[Headsprouter]

I've never heard it used in that context before, it's sometimes interchangeable with '-ish', which could be used in this situation, I wouldn't worry too much about it, the meaning still got across.

I'm an easygoing English teacher, which is why this thread was replied to. (Yes yes, ending with a preposition and all that but it copied your syntax.)

Fair enough. Thanks for helping out. I was probably wrong anyway...

 

[Batou667]

OP, I'm pretty sure your friend is wrong. "-esque" as a suffix should mean "reminiscent of" or "akin to", not "approximate to".

Fiftyish is fine, fiftyesque is just a horrible abuse of the language.

 

[Zaik]

Language is a living idea, not a set of rules printed in a book.

If you understand what someone said when they said it, there is no justifiable reason to harass them for not following imaginary rules made by some pretentious fucks in the 1800s.

 

[Batou667]

Language is a living idea, not a set of rules printed in a book.

If you understand what someone said when they said it, there is no justifiable reason to harass them for not following imaginary rules made by some pretentious fucks in the 1800s.

u r compleatli rite. as long az u can undastand wot iz bein sed then silli fings lyke spellin and grammer ar jst opshunul. y go 2 the effort ov conformng 2 rools maed by sun prtnshus fukks in da 1800s, l@nguge iz evlvng so u c@n communic8 N.E. wai u lyke + da burdN ov undastanN iz on da reedA. Anarchist 4 lyfe, fuck da police. yolo!

 

[Vegosiux]

Language is a living idea, not a set of rules printed in a book.

If you understand what someone said when they said it, there is no justifiable reason to harass them for not following imaginary rules made by some pretentious fucks in the 1800s.

u r compleatli rite. as long az u can undastand wot iz bein sed then silli fings lyke spellin and grammer ar jst opshunul. y go 2 the effort ov conformng 2 rools maed by sun prtnshus fukks in da 1800s, l@nguge iz evlvng so u c@n communic8 N.E. wai u lyke + da burdN ov undastanN iz on da reedA. Anarchist 4 lyfe, fuck da police. yolo!

Well. I just have to drop by and say that what you typed there would sound the same as it would have sounded had it been written properly, it's just harder to read *snicker*

But on topic, no, I wouldn't say my leatherworking is 330-esque, I'd say 330-ish or "In the 330's".

 

[Zaik]

Language is a living idea, not a set of rules printed in a book.

If you understand what someone said when they said it, there is no justifiable reason to harass them for not following imaginary rules made by some pretentious fucks in the 1800s.

u r compleatli rite. as long az u can undastand wot iz bein sed then silli fings lyke spellin and grammer ar jst opshunul. y go 2 the effort ov conformng 2 rools maed by sun prtnshus fukks in da 1800s, l@nguge iz evlvng so u c@n communic8 N.E. wai u lyke + da burdN ov undastanN iz on da reedA. Anarchist 4 lyfe, fuck da police. yolo!

I can guarantee that this was 10 times easier for me to read than it was for you to write.

Then again, I'm not an english major, I don't feel physical pain at the thought that someone somwhere is spelling color with no u.

 

[Stasisesque]

I feel like I am particularly relevant here.

The -esque suffix does not really work for numbers, though I can see how your friend was confused. It can mean 'resembling' or in the style of, so if one said "like 150" or "resembling 150" most people would go "what". On paper it seems like it should follow for quantities, but spelling it out, it does not. "Around 150" is far more acceptable, and easier to understand.