• BADMAN
n. 1. 1855 chiefly N. Amer. – a desperado, an outlaw, a gunman; a violent or ruthless criminal; a villain
n. 2. 1884 Sc. & Amer. dial. – a child’s name for the devil
n. 3. Bk1914 Amer. dial. – a quick-tempered man, not necessarily a term of reproach
n. 4. 1949 Amer. sl. – in ice hockey: a rough player who is frequently sent to the penalty box
n. 5. 1980 Black British sl. – a tough, intransigent Black man who rejects the constraints and demands of establishment society
n. 6. Bk1992 criminals’ sl. – a dangerous person, usually a police officer or informer
• BAD MAN BELOW
n. 20C African-American sl. – the Devil
• BADMASH
adj. Bk2007 UK sl. – naughty, dissolute
n. 1. 1843 Anglo-Indian – one following evil courses; a bad, wicked, or disreputable fellow; a villainous man; a rascal, a scoundrel
n. 2. Bk2007 UK sl. – a naughty or dissolute person
• BAD MEDICINE
n. 1844 US West usage – a dangerous, unfortunate, or objectionable person or thing
• BAD MEMBER
n. Bk1910 Ireland – a doer of evil; a bad character; a treacherous fellow
• BAD-MIND
adj. 2000 UK sl. – malevolent, malicious
n. 20C W. Indies sl. – malice, spite, animosity
• BAD-MINDED
adj. 20C W. Indies sl. – envious, nasty, wishing someone ill
• BADMINTON
n. 1. 1853 – a cooling summer drink, a mix of claret, sugar, and soda-water
n. 2. M19 sl. – blood
• BAD MIXER
n. Bk1988 Aust. sl. – a person who does not get on well with others socially
• BAD-MOTHER SWINGER
n. Bk1970 US students’ sl. – an attractive male
• BADMOUTH
adj. 1970s sl. – malicious, defamatory
n. 1. 1960 US sl. – disparaging remarks; a maligning; malicious gossip or criticism (also used as ‘bad mouth’)
n. 2. 1960s sl., orig. African-American & W. Indies – a curse, a spell
n. 3. 1967 US sl. – one who disparages or maligns
n. 4. 1968 Amer. dial. – one who talks in a belligerent or argumentative manner
vb. 1. 1940s sl. – to beat someone in an argument or verbal contest
vb. 2. 1941 Amer. sl. – to malign; to disparage; to criticize, to attack verbally, to slander
vb. 3. 1972 US sl. – to utter obscenities; to abuse
• BADMOUTHER
n. 1967 US sl. – one who disparages or maligns
• BAD NAIL
n. 1866 Sc. obs. – an evil or bad disposition or ‘streak’ in one’s nature
• BAD-NAUGHT
n. 1857 Eng. dial. – a worthless, good-for-nothing person
• BADNESS
n. 1. 1885 Eng. dial. – sickness, illness, disease
n. 2. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – depravity, active wickedness, vice
n. 3. 1943 Amer. dial. – pus
n. 4. 1980s UK & Black British teen sl. – delinquent or unruly behaviour, often just for the sake of it
• BAD NEWS
adj. 1960s sl., orig. US – unpleasant, threatening
n. 1. 1910 Amer. sl. – the amount charged for service, esp. as stated on a bill or restaurant check
n. 2. 1917 Amer. sl. – a dangerous or disastrous person, thing, situation, etc.; an unwelcome guest; something undesirable
n. 3. 1920s sl., orig. US – a shotgun or revolver
n. 4. 1930s sl., orig. US – the losing throw of 3 in craps dice
n. 5. 1940s sl., orig. US – an unpleasant situation; difficulties; trouble
n. 6. 1946 sl. – a despicable person; esp. applied to someone best avoided
n. 7. 1949 sl., orig. US – a troublesome, threatening person
n. 8. 1960s sl., orig. US – a pessimist
n. 9. 1962 sl. – a depressing person; a pessimist
• BAD NEWS WAGON
n. 1970s sl. – a police car
• BAD NIGGER
n. 1. 1901 African-American usage – a Black person who refuses to accept the stereotypical role which U.S. society is alleged to have given him
n. 2. 1909 African-American sl. – a violent, amoral Black person, as seen by his Black peers
n. 3. 1910 Aust. sl. – an Aborigine who refuses to cooperate with the authorities
n. 4. 1965 African-American usage – a Black person who commands the respect of other Blacks
• BAD NUMBER
n. Bk1945 criminals’ sl. – an ex-convict; any dangerous criminal
• BAD OFF
adj. 1. Bk1913-17 Amer. dial. – poor
adj. 2. Bk1913-17 Amer. dial. – sick
• BAD ORDER
n. 1. 1945 Amer. dial. – among railroad workers: a defective locomotive or railroad car
n. 2. 1947 Amer. dial. – among railroad workers: equipment in disrepair; defective material or equipment
n. 3. 1969 Amer. dial. – among railroad workers: an incompetent employee
• BADOT
adj. 1653 obs. rare – silly
• BADOUS
adj. 1908 Sc. – weakly, good-for-nothing
• BAD PAPER
n. 1. 1910s sl. – any form of fraudulent documents, counterfeit money, or similar written or printed frauds or forgeries
n. 2. 1960s sl. – an IOU that will not be paid by the debtor
n. 3. 1971 US sl. – in the military: any discharge other than an honourable discharge
n. 4. 1990s US prison sl. – a negative report on a prisoner
n. 5. Bk2004 Amer. sl. – a cheque for which there are no funds in the bank
• BAD PAY
adj. 20C W. Indies sl. – (as ‘bad-pay’) extremely slow to pay debts or any money that is owed and expected
n. 1965 Amer. dial. – a person who doesn’t pay his bills
• BAD PAYMASTER
n. 1965 Amer. dial. – a person who doesn’t pay his bills
• BAD PENNY
n. 1. c1367 – an unpleasant, untrustworthy person; a ne’er-do-well; a good-for-nothing
n. 2. 1937 – an undesirable person who repeatedly returns
• BAD PIECE
n. 1880 Sc. – Hell
• BAD PILL
n. Bk1880 Eng. dial. – a disagreeable or unpleasant person; an objectionable person, or one of low morals; a person of unenviable reputation
• BAD PLACE
n. 1880 Eng. & Amer. dial. – a child’s name for hell
• BAD PLACE IN THE ROAD
n. 1967 Amer. dial. – a small, unimportant, or out-of-the-way settlement
• BAD POKER
n. 1920s US criminals’ sl. – a mistake, a foolish move
• A BAD QUARTER OF AN HOUR
n. 1887 – a short but very unpleasant period of time
• BAD RACK
n. Bk1998 sl. – a gambler who does not pay his debts to a casino
• BAD RAGS
n. 1968 Amer. dial. – stylish clothes; one’s best, most fashionable clothes
• BAD-RAP
n. 1. 1940s US sl. – a serious criminal charge
n. 2. 1960s sl. – the state of being criticized unfairly
n. 3. 1970s sl. – an unfair criminal charge or sentence
n. 4. 1970s sl. – a sentence of 20 years or more
vb. 1967 Amer. sl. – to criticize unjustly; to malign
• THE BAD REIN
n. 1980s Aust. sl. – bad advice
• BAD RELIGION
n. 1953 Amer. dial. – reprehensible or hypocritical behaviour on the part of a person purporting to be religious
• BADS
n. 1592 – bad things, qualities, etc.
• BAD SATISFACTION
n. 1656 obs. – dissatisfaction, dissatisfying result
• BAD SCENE
n. 1. 1950s sl. – an unpleasant situation
n. 2. 1968 US sl. – an unpleasant or unpopular person
• BAD SCRANGE TO IT
phr. Bk1904 Eng. dial. – bad luck to it
• BAD SCRAN TO YOU
phr. 1842 Ireland & Eng. dial. – an imprecation; bad luck to you
• BAD SEED
n. 1. 1969 US drugs sl. – peyote; heroin
n. 2. 1998 UK drugs sl. – marijuana
n. 3. Bk2004 – a person who never does anything well; a person who veers from the straight and narrow and acts like a criminal
• BAD SHAG
n. 1754 sl. – an unsatisfactory lover
• BAD SHILLING
n. 1. M19 sl. – an unpleasant, untrustworthy person
n. 2. L19 sl. – one’s last shilling
• BAD SHIT
n. 1. 1960s sl. – worse than average problems; an unpleasant or bad event or situation, such as a long-lasting and unsettled quarrel or recurring acts of vengeance preventing two people or two groups from reaching any kind of reconciliation
n. 2. Bk1975 Amer. sl. – a bad or extremely unpleasant person, usually male; a dangerous or deceptive person
n. 3. 1996 prison sl. – high quality drugs, esp. marijuana
n. 4. Bk2006 US sl. – bad drugs; adulterated drugs
• BAD SHOT
n. 1. 1845 – a poor or wrong guess
n. 2. Bk1902 – an awkward person
• BAD SHOW!
int. 20C sl. – an exclamation of disappointment or disapproval
• BAD SICK
adj. 1928 Amer. dial. – seriously ill
• BAD SIDDOWN
n. 20C W. Indies & Jamaican sl. – poor behaviour in public; disregard of other people’s feelings
• BAD SMASH
n. 20C sl. – counterfeit coins
• BAD SORT
n. 1891 – a bad kind of person
• BAD SOUND
n. Bk1970 US students’ sl. – a good song or one with a good beat
• BAD SPOT IN THE ROAD
n. 1967 Amer. dial. – a small, unimportant, or out-of-the-way settlement
• BAD STEPS
n. 1827 Sc. – awkward bits of the road
• BADSTER
n. 1944 Aust. sl. – a villain, a morally bad person
• BAD STICK
n. Bk1855 – a clergyman who has a bad delivery
• BAD SUBJECT
n. 1840 – a patient who does not have good prospects of improvement or recovery
• BAD SWALLY
n. Bk1997 Ulster sl. – a fast eater
• BAD TALK
n. 1. 1960s African-American sl. – conversation or writing that considers and/or urges revolutionary attitudes and actions; such talk is ‘bad’ both in White eyes and as the prerogative of Blacks
n. 2. 1960s African-American sl. – a form of ritual name-calling, based on insulting one’s target’s family
n. 3. 1960s African-American sl. – any form of abusive, negative speech
• BAD TIME
n. 1. 1954 Amer. dial. – menstruation
n. 2. 1970s US criminals’ sl. – a prison sentence that causes the subject, who cannot acclimatize, a great deal of suffering
vb. 1960s US sl. – (as ‘bad-time’) to be unfaithful to one’s spouse or lover
• BAD TIME OF THE MONTH
n. 1967 Amer. dial. – menstruation
• BAD TO DO
adj. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – in poor circumstances
• BAD TO LIKE
adj. 1889 Eng. dial. – of unpromising appearance
• BAD TRENCHER MAN
n. Bk1958 Eng. sl. – one having not much appetite
• BAD TRIP
n. 1. 1960s US sl. – any bad, unpleasant, or frightening experience
n. 2. 1960s US drugs sl. – a bad experience with drugs
n. 3. Bk1995 Amer. sl. – a bad person
• BAD TROT
n. 1. 1920s sl. – a run of bad luck
n. 2. 20C Aust. sl. – an unfair situation or result
• BAD ‘UN
n. 1. 1823 sl. – a rogue, an untrustworthy person
n. 2. M19 UK criminals’ sl. – a counterfeit coin
• BADUZI
n. 2000s African-American sl. – the smell of sexual intercourse
• BADVENTURE
n. Bk1942 Amer. sl. – a bad adventure
• BAD WEAVE
n. 1972 Amer. dial. – stylish clothes; handsome or attractive attire
• BAD WEEK
n. 1967 Amer. dial. – menstruation
• BAD WOMAN
n. Bk1992 Amer. Southern usage – a low-down woman, like a jezebel or prostitute
• BAD-YABBLE
adj. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – unable
• BAD YELLOW
n. 1856 Eng. dial. – the plague
• BAEDEKER
n. Bk1975 US sl. – a guide book
• BAF
int. B1700 Sc. – an expression of disdain
n. 1908 Sc. – a warm poultice on a wound or swelling
vb. 1908 Sc. – to warm, to poultice
• BAFAN
adj. 1950s W. Indies Rasta – clumsy, awkward
n. 1956 sl., derogatory – a clumsy awkward person
• BAFANG
n. 1950s W. Indies Rasta – a child who has not learned to walk for its first 2-7 years
• BAFF
adj. 1. Bk1898 Sc. – of cards: valueless, worthless; not a trump
adj. 2. Bk1898 Sc. – of wood: useless, worthless
n. 1. 1827 Sc. – a blow, a buffet; a shot; a thud; a jog with the elbow; a blow with anything flat or soft, as the palm of the hand, a soft ball, etc.
n. 2. 1866 Sc. – a cold; the effects of exposure to cold
n. 3. a1868 Sc. – a big, clumsy person
n. 4. 1891 Eng. dial. – a suppressed bark
n. 5. Bk1898 Sc. – a stroke in golf in which the ground is struck with the sole of the club-head
vb. 1. c1440 obs. exc. Eng. dial. – to bark or yelp as a dog
vb. 2. E16 Sc. – to beat; to strike; to buffet
vb. 3. 1866 Sc. – to struggle, either against illness or weather
vb. 4. 1879 Sc. – to beat, to strike; in golf: to strike the ground with the sole of the club-head in making a stroke
vb. 5. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – to cough, to hack
vb. 6. Bk1898 Sc. – to bathe an injured part to give it relief
• BAFFED; BAFT
adj. 1990s UK sl. – baffled, confused, incapable
• BAFFEL
n. 1749 Sc. – a carelessly written letter, a scribble
• BAFF-END
n. Bk1898 Sc. – the partly decayed or root end of a tree or log
• BAFFER
n. 1866 Sc. – a struggle
• BAFFERS
n. Bk1880 – barkers; yellers
• BAFFIE
n. 1914 Sc. – a golf club
• BAFFIN
n. 1. 1866 Sc. – a trifle , a thing of no value
n. 2. Bk1911 Sc. – a soft, stupid person
n. 3. 1914 Sc. – the calm between two winds
n. 4. 1929 Sc. – a severe drenching; usually applied to the drenching and buffeting one gets by being exposed to a storm of wind and rain
• BAFFING
n. 1401 obs. – barking
• BAFFING-SPOON
n. 1858 Sc. – a wooden-headed golf club
• BAFFLE
n. 1. 1628 obs. – confusion, discomfiture, check
n. 2. c1645 obs. – disgrace, affront
n. 3. 1783 obs. – a shuffle; quibbling, trifling
n. 4. 1866 Eng. dial. – a trifle; a thing of no value
vb. 1. 1548 obs. – to subject to public disgrace or infamy
vb. 2. c1590 obs. – to hoodwink, to gull, to cheat; to humbug; to make a fool of
vb. 3. 1592 obs. – to disgrace, to treat with contumely
vb. 4. 1656 obs. – to juggle, to shuffle, to quibble
vb. 5. 1674 obs. – to speak to or of in terms of contempt; to vilify, to ‘run down’
vb. 6. 1889 Eng. dial. – to twist irregularly, to entangle
vb. 7. 1895 Eng. dial. – to impede, to obstruct, to thwart, to balk
vb. 8. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – to strike, to beat
vb. 9. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – to insult, to bully, to tease
vb. 10. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – of children or animals: to manage capriciously; to bring up badly
• BAFFLE AROUND
vb. 1970 Amer. dial. – to take too long about coming to a decision
• BAFFLED
adj. 1671 obs. – disgraced, dishonoured
• BAFFLEGAB
n. 1952 colloq., chiefly N. Amer. – confusing or unintelligible jargon; incomprehensible or pretentious verbiage•
• BAFFLE PAINT
n. 20C Amer. sl., World War II usage – camouflage
• BAFFLE PAINTING
n. Bk1944 services’ sl. – camouflage
• BAFFLER
n. 1. 1606 obs. – a juggler, a trickster; a trifler
n. 2. 1677 – he who bewilders, confounds, defeats effort, or foils purposes
• BAFFLES
n. 1865 Eng. dial. – gaiters, leggings
• BAFFLING
n. 1. 1602 obs. – treatment with insult or contumely
n. 2. 1653 obs. – quibbling; trifling
• BAFFOUND
vb. 1868 Eng. dial. – to bewilder, perplex, stun
• BAFFOUNDED
adj. 1886 Eng. dial. – perplexed, bewildered
• BAFFOUNDING
adj. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – perplexing, bewildering
• BAFFS
n. 1914 Sc. – bedroom slippers
• BAFFY
adj. Bk1911 Sc. – chubby
n. 1888 golfing usage – in golf: a short wooden club used to hit the ball into the air
• BAFFY SPOON
n. 1890 golfing usage – in golf: a short wooden club used to hit the ball into the air
• BAFOON
n. 1. 1989 sl. – a term of abuse, a fool
n. 2. 20C W. Indies sl. – a stench, esp. a fart
• BAFT
adv. 1. c885 arch. – of a place: behind, in the rear; in large usage only nautical usage: astern, aft, abaft
adv. 2. 1205 obs. rare – of time: after
prep. a800 obs. – behind, to the rear of
n. 1896 Amer. dial. – a quantity or large number of something
• BAFTS
adv. c1400 obs. – behind
• BAFUFF
n. 1897 Sc. – a fictitious place, remote and unspecified
Back to INDEX B
Back to DICTIONARY
Updated: September 9, 2022
Lexicophilia 