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iffy

danalto

Senior Member
Italy - Italian
From a Cold Case episode.

PETEY
Why's she so down?
CLEM
Eh… (long beat) Things have been kinda iffy at home.

PETEY
Perché sta così giù?
CLEM
Eh...le cose non vanno tanto bene a casa.
Looking up "incerto" I found "uncertain", and I disagree, I think "inusuale" (weird) makes more sense in English

Iffy = weird 👁 Tick :tick:

Iffy = uncertain 👁 Tick :tick:
👁 Cross :cross:
... not as much.

Not sure about the Italian translations, but if you are thinking of "incerto" as "weird" then it looks ok to me, but if you mean it to be "uncertain", hmm, I don't really think so.
I suppose that makes sense, but when I hear "iffy" I think "odd"...
If someone said to me "it's a bit iffy" I'd think of it as "it" is "weird/unusual/odd" ... but uncertain, though now I do see in that way "iffy" means "uncertain/undecided" .. So I'm just going to make up a lie and say I'm tired and my brain isn't working properly today, and hope you all believe me👁 Stick Out Tongue :p
Well, Alex, I think it depends on the context. (Can we all get t-shirts that say that?)

I don't want to go to that dive bar; it seems a bit iffy. (Weird, strange, not safe).

Better take your umbrella; the weather seems a bit iffy today. (Uncertain).
Well, Alex, I think it depends on the context. (Can we all get t-shirts that say that?)

Yeah, I want one!!

I don't want to go to that dive bar; it seems a bit iffy. (Weird, strange, not safe).

Better take your umbrella; the weather seems a bit iffy today. (Uncertain).

Could the main meaning of iffy depend on BE/AE use?
I don't want to go to that dive bar; it seems a bit iffy. (Weird, strange, not safe).
Which I would take to mean "I'm not sure it's a safe place -- it might be weird or strange." If I were sure the bar was weird/strange/unsafe, I (personally) wouldn't use the word iffy. 👁 Smile :)


Elisabetta
If I were sure the bar was weird/strange/unsafe, I (personally) wouldn't use the word iffy. 👁 Smile :)

I don't know -- I think the word "iffy" can imply that a judgment has already been made, although perhaps you don't have the facts to back it up.

"Trentina's new boyfriend seems kind of iffy to me." (I've already formed a negative impression, even though I'm phrasing it as uncertainty -- perhaps it's a wishy-washy way of expressing a judgment.).
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