I've enjoyed the program - though not quite as charming as John Ciardi's.
I'm a newbie first post, and maybe there's a place I should have looked, but I haven't been able to find the etymology of the slang bad used to mean really good in an edgy sort of way. Â Can anyone help? If there is a place I should have looked, let me know.
Hi jimbier, and welcome to the form.
I looked at Google Ngrams, two etymology websites, as well as several online slang dictionaries (including Grant Barrett's), but no joy. Being a child of the 60s, I do recall that use of "bad" coming into the vernacular at about that time. It was used to describe everything from drugs to women to songs to cars. I believe, but am not sure, that it originated in the counter-culture, and was used equally across race, gender, economic, and geographic boundaries.
Its use might even go back as far as the Beat Era of the 50s. Sorry I couldn't be of more help. Perhaps Grant will jump into this thread?
Thank you, Heimhenge, for the effort and the welcome! I remember thinking that sure is dumb, to use a word to mean its opposite, but I might have heard it long after it was in general use. Â I'm often a bit behind on the latest thing.
Well, does use of 'bad' to mean 'good' not resemble the use of 'badly' in this sentence?
When you really badly want sth, then you will get it.
(I just read it in book, the writer was non-native though.)
Close, Rafee, but not quite. Bad used for good is just an adjective (and slang).
But in your example, badly is an adverb, not slang, and is almost a synonym for really in that same sentence. Both add emphasis to want (the verb), and the meaning is closer to very much.
Some might argue the badly is redundant and really would suffice to emphasize how much you want something. Otherwise, it's pretty much the same as saying you really really want ...