Word Play

I was standing around the other day and could not help but overhear a strangers conversation. Really I only caught one line. They were asking the person on the other end to guess-estimate the cost of something. The word guess-estimate makes me chuckle. I realize I use a lot of foolish phrases but guess-estimate is one of the most nonsensical words.

A guess and an estimate are the same thing. In all fairness, a guess is not always logical like an estimate which is an educated guess. Still, the word confuses me. Maybe a guess-estimate means that if you are guessing then this is the best estimate. Maybe I am just too literal with my language. The word guess-estimate is a hybrid word much like hybrid fruits and vegetables. The hybrid has an essence of the original but it is not quite the same. Eating a hybrid tomato is not as satisfying as an heirloom but it passes just as guess-estimate is not a real word but it works.