[Ads-l] Quest for Early Evidence for "Bad" Meaning "Good"

[Stephen Goranson]

My non-expert impression, while awaiting better-informed replies:

Pink Marsh uses bad many times, and some qualify for the OED description of formidable, possibly bracketed, as transitional-bad, not quite good.
In fact, I question whether the OED division of IV. 12 and IV. 13 holds up well for the early uses.
Strong, awesome, scary, effective, dangerous, deserving of respect, for instance, may apply, on page 32,
""...Miss Lo'ena's hot membeh. She 's so wahm you can feel 'e heat on otheh side of 'e street when she goes past. My goodness ! I s'pose she 's bad to look at. She had me settin' up nights faw 'while""

Page 92,
Gin and honey is "...bad--bad!...bad, misteh."

sg
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From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> on behalf of Shapiro, Fred <fred.shapiro at YALE.EDU>
Sent: Wednesday, June 12, 2024 10:06 AM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Subject: Quest for Early Evidence for "Bad" Meaning "Good"

I have been helping the Oxford Dictionary of African American English project with research.  They are trying to find early evidence for the word "bad" meaning "good."  The earliest citation in the OED is from George Ade's 1897 novel _Pink Marsh_.  Here is the usage of "bad" with its context:

"She ain't young as some of 'em otheh babies I had lookin' out faw me, but you 'membeh what I tol' you once, misteh? Cake-walks is good, but you can't eat 'em. You do n' ketch me stahvin'. No, seh! 'At lady I got ain't so wahm on cloze as some of 'em, but she sutny fix up a pohk chop 'at's bad to eat. 'At love's all right, misteh; but Misteh Mahsh sutny got to have his pohk chops."

I and the ODAAE would welcome any assistance with two questions.  One need is for input as to whether the OED is correct that the Ade passage uses "bad" to mean "good."  The other need is for citations earlier than 1897.  Because "bad" is a common word that is polysemous, it is obviously very tough to research with online searching.


Fred Shapiro

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