Acting tough, fearless, or showing impressive confidence and attitude, especially in a way that breaks rules or defies expectations.
Compound of 'bad' (from Old English bædel, meaning evil or inferior) and 'assed' (from Old English ærs, the rear end, used slang as intensifier). The phrase 'badass' emerged in American slang by the 1950s, blending the negative 'bad' with a crude anatomical reference to create a paradoxical term for something impressive.
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