bad boy

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

bad + boy

Pronunciation
  • Audio (AU)(file)

Noun

bad boy (plural bad boys)

  1. Used other than with a figurative or idiomatic meaning: see bad,‎ boy.
  2. A man whose rebellious nature makes him dangerous and/or attractive.
    • 2012, Douglas MacKinnon, Vengeance Is Mine, →ISBN:
      Yeah, I fit the profile all right. Perfect made-to-order malcontent. Let's sign this bad boy up and sic him on somebody fast, before the foam dries on his mouth.
    • 2012, N. Arielli, ‎B. Collins, Transnational Soldiers: Foreign Military Enlistment in the Modern Era, →ISBN:
      Among the 'students' receiving below average marks was 22-year old Vsevolod Raubefrom Bobruisk, who was considered the 'bad boy of the party'.
    • 2012, Kendra Leigh Castle, Shadow Rising, →ISBN:
      Like so many dark and delicious bad boys, there's more to Damien than meets the eye.
  3. (slang) A male criminal.
  4. (figuratively, slang) An undesirable or difficult task.
    Let's get this bad boy done!
  5. (slang) A powerful or impressive product or item.
    • 1949 November-December, Low, Floyd E., “Keep that pitch UP!”, in The Instrumentalist, volume 4, Association for the Advancement of Instrumental Music, page 38:
      Many school music teachers and directors are not primarily clarinetists and, knowing little of the subtle intricacies of this "bad boy" of instruments, can teach little more than the fingering.
    • 1988, Writers Forum‎, number 14-17, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs:
      […] he groaned as he twisted his arm over his head to follow the groove to the right wheel well, "if this bad boy connects right there, then it can't be a light."
    • 1992 November 16, “The POWERstation 220: Here today. More tomorrow. [Advertisement]”, in InfoWorld, volume 14, number 46, page 137:
      So isn't it time you took this bad boy for a test drive?
    • 2014, David Vengley, Mars Base Red Seven, →ISBN:
      “Oh yeah,I remember, you already bagged one of those bad boys backin the city.”Sal chuckled.
    • 2016, Max Dickins, My Groupon Adventure, →ISBN, page 93:
      This bad boy wasn't shy in letting us know either, as three of us struggled to pull it ashore. Again, it felt totally bizarre to be physically straining every sinew to drag a massive dangerous animal towards me.

See also
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