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Define "badass"?

#125
fhm555 said:
Where i came from no one beat someone else's ass. We whipped one anothers ass.
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#126
I'm probably a little late to the party on this thread, but aren't we simply discussing the semantic power of a word beyond it's dictionary definition? I think I can explain this with an example..."bad guy"

The dictionary definition of bad guy is pretty obvious: a guy who isn't good. Someone who opposes good people. However, the semantic weight of the word is far stronger. I was born in the mid-80s. I was also a total nerd. Consequently, the term "bad guy" encompassed "Darth Vader" or "Sauron." It wasn't just a person who opposed the so-called "good guys;" a bad guy was someone who embodied evil and reveled in horror.

So what does "badass" mean? I suppose it depends on where you are looking. There are a few surface-level definitions, but your history, experience, and cultural memory will all inform the final result. Your "badass" is probably different than mine. It is one of those terms/concepts/ideals that exceeds Mr. Webster's best efforts.
~Nick von Nick

P.S. Vikings, Samurai, Patti Smith, and Mark Sandman are all badass in my eyes...
 
#127
mikeoso said:
I see a lot of use of the word "badass" to describe people and objects. It bemuses me. Where I came from, badass meant people who you seriously did not mess with, because they were capable of and inclined toward exaggerated acts of physical violence. When I hung out in South Chicago and when I served in the Marines in the '60s, the badasses were people who might kill you if you irritated them. "Badass" meant scary. The Blackstone Rangers were badass. NVA sapper teams were badass.

The badass didnt come from costume, and you couldnt talk your way into being thought a badass.

Now I see the word applied to bass headstocks, power stances, makeup, and paint jobs. A strap can be badass. People discuss whether a 35" 4 string bass is more badass than a 34" 5 string. Can someone please explain this linguistic shift? Does badass just mean trendy now...is "badass" the new "cool"? or do people now actually think that a spiky bass or strap with chrome studs really makes you physically intimidating?
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Interesting question. The meaning actually hasn't changed much - the word wasn't necessarily about the recipient's strength or attitude, but about the fact that you recognized and respected those qualities or we're even slightly intimidated because you couldn't approach them. These days, the word has expanded to include criteria outside of physical strength or killing prowess. It can be used as an indicator or skill, or as a show of respect for some other quality.

"Stanley Clarke is a badass bassist. Wish I had his skills."
"Saw this badass bass amp the other day - 3000 watts, class D! It's insane"
"Went to this badass show last night - the bands were on point and the sound guy dialed it in pefectly"
 
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#131
Bob_Ross said:
When I was a kid it was possible to be ambivalent about whether or not someone was a "slut", but when I hear people discussing it now it seems to mostly carry an extremely negative judgmental connotation, with a few outliers who find it positive (and positively appealing).

Were TB's terms of service a bit more relaxed I'd start a thread "Who's The Most Badass Slut?" :)
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When I was young-


Slut- a girl who sleeps with everybody

Bitch- a girl who sleeps with everybody but you



:bag:
 
#132
mikeoso said:
I see a lot of use of the word "badass" to describe people and objects. It bemuses me. Where I came from, badass meant people who you seriously did not mess with, because they were capable of and inclined toward exaggerated acts of physical violence. When I hung out in South Chicago and when I served in the Marines in the '60s, the badasses were people who might kill you if you irritated them. "Badass" meant scary. The Blackstone Rangers were badass. NVA sapper teams were badass.

The badass didnt come from costume, and you couldnt talk your way into being thought a badass.

Now I see the word applied to bass headstocks, power stances, makeup, and paint jobs. A strap can be badass. People discuss whether a 35" 4 string bass is more badass than a 34" 5 string. Can someone please explain this linguistic shift? Does badass just mean trendy now...is "badass" the new "cool"? or do people now actually think that a spiky bass or strap with chrome studs really makes you physically intimidating?
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If you want to get into idioms in the English language, or its evolution, try a Masters college course.
The short version is that English is a very flexible language that is an amalgamation of several others. Because its roots aren't concrete, words often change their meaning since there isn't a lot of solid, objective meanings to begin with. Even the definition you give your use of the term makes no literal sense. An ass is either a donkey or mule. It can also be a pejorative for your backside. Or a negative term for someone who is mean or dim witted. How does that tie together to mean someone that is a tough guy?
When society started to associate tough guys with coolness, some kind of aloof paragon of manly strength, then that's when it became useable as an adjective for an inanimate object that has sense of coolness.
 
#135
mikeoso said:
I see a lot of use of the word "badass" to describe people and objects. It bemuses me. Where I came from, badass meant people who you seriously did not mess with, because they were capable of and inclined toward exaggerated acts of physical violence. When I hung out in South Chicago and when I served in the Marines in the '60s, the badasses were people who might kill you if you irritated them. "Badass" meant scary. The Blackstone Rangers were badass. NVA sapper teams were badass.

The badass didnt come from costume, and you couldnt talk your way into being thought a badass.

Now I see the word applied to bass headstocks, power stances, makeup, and paint jobs. A strap can be badass. People discuss whether a 35" 4 string bass is more badass than a 34" 5 string. Can someone please explain this linguistic shift? Does badass just mean trendy now...is "badass" the new "cool"? or do people now actually think that a spiky bass or strap with chrome studs really makes you physically intimidating?
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Well, decades ago we called them Groovey, Far out and Rightious, Neato Keen instead just to list a few. Expressions morph overtime. It’s the way it goes.

That said, I agree with your classic definition of the term. I also want to, as a father of two Marines, to thank you for your service.
 
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#139
mikeoso said:
I see a lot of use of the word "badass" to describe people and objects. It bemuses me. Where I came from, badass meant people who you seriously did not mess with, because they were capable of and inclined toward exaggerated acts of physical violence. When I hung out in South Chicago and when I served in the Marines in the '60s, the badasses were people who might kill you if you irritated them. "Badass" meant scary. The Blackstone Rangers were badass. NVA sapper teams were badass.

The badass didnt come from costume, and you couldnt talk your way into being thought a badass.

Now I see the word applied to bass headstocks, power stances, makeup, and paint jobs. A strap can be badass. People discuss whether a 35" 4 string bass is more badass than a 34" 5 string. Can someone please explain this linguistic shift? Does badass just mean trendy now...is "badass" the new "cool"? or do people now actually think that a spiky bass or strap with chrome studs really makes you physically intimidating?
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You can get it from eating Taco Bell
 

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