bad man

West and North

DCHP-1 (pre-1967)

This entry may contain outdated or offensive information, terms, and examples.

1 — Hist.

a desperado; outlaw; rustler.

Quotations

1859

Now I ask . . . what did the men mean by surrounding the constable . . . it was they who tacitly aided the bad men to rescue the prisoner.

1958

On the hill . . . still stands the gnarled pine tree, a frayed rope dangling from it, and graves of badmen who met justice-in-the-rough upon it.

a person who becomes disorderly, often breaking the law, while under the influence of liquor.

1898

Too much "fire water" in town this week after a long dry spell was the indirect cause of several "bad men" visiting the barracks and police courts.

1958

There were few "bad men" in Fortymile; . . . it was a community that hewed surprisingly closely to the Christian ethic.

3 — Slang

in hockey, a player who earns a great many penalties for rough, illegal play.

1958

[He] had developed into a scoring champ after abandoning a career as hockey "bad man."

1964

. . . Brewer, the Leafs' bad man, speared Stan Mikita. . . .