[Ads-l] Antedating of "To Break Bad" (African-American Usage)

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

Fred Shapiro wrote:
> Far more information about "breaking bad" was contained
> in a posting by the great Bonnie Taylor-Blake.  I have
> forwarded Bonnie's spectacular posting to the editors of
> the Oxford Dictionary of African American English.

Here is a link to Bonnie's message from July 20, 2024. I think this is
the post Fred is referencing:

https://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/ads-l/2024-July/165723.html



> ________________________________
> From: Shapiro, Fred <fred.shapiro at yale.edu>
> Sent: Sunday, May 4, 2025 8:54 AM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Subject: Antedating of "To Break Bad" (African-American Usage)
>
> to break bad (OED, P.2.b., 1965)
>
> 1963 Afro-American (Baltimore) 7 Dec. 9 (ProQuest)
>
> When I looked at television and saw the shooting [of Lee Harvey Oswald ... I said to myslef, this is worse than a Wild West movie.  They certainly "break bad" down in Texas.
>
> Fred Shapiro
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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