stupid = 'very pleasing; marvelous'

[Margaret Lee]

 'Stupid,' meaning great, superb, excellent,  originated in the African American community decades ago.  (See Smitherman, Black Talk, 1994, 2000).  It's in the same category as 'bad' meaning 'good.'

--Margaret Lee


>________________________________
> From: Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
>To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU 
>Sent: Thursday, August 28, 2014 10:07 AM
>Subject: stupid = 'very pleasing; marvelous'
>  
>
>This has been around for some years, but perhaps never moreblatantly as in
>this ad:
>
>"It’s an unlikely pairing: The world’s smartest looking smartwatch and the
>world’s stupidest mobile app. And yet they have indeed teamed up, because
>mobile app Yo has just announced that 'Motorola is going to use the Yo
>platform to release their long awaited Moto 360 smart watch.' And yes, this
>promotion is just as awesomely stupid as you think it is."
>
>For some of, of course, the sense is equivocal.
>
>But only for some.
>
>JL
>-- 
>"If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
>
>------------------------------------------------------------
>The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org/
>
>    

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org