Bad man
Also spelled: badman, baddaman, bad bwoy
Meaning
A tough, fearless man — depending on tone, either a genuine gangster figure or, in the flip common to Patois, simply someone admirable, skilled and not to be messed with. Here 'bad' often means good: a bad man is formidable.
Examples
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“Nuh test him, him a real bad man.”
Don't test him, he's genuinely dangerous.
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“Yuh a bad man pon di football field!”
You're a beast on the football field!
Here 'bad man' is pure praise for skill.
-
“Bad man nuh dweet so.”
A real tough guy doesn't act like that.
Origin
From English 'bad man', but shaped by the Patois habit of using 'bad' to mean excellent or formidable, so the sense swings between menace and admiration.
How it's used
Tone and context decide whether it is a warning or a compliment. A recurring persona in dancehall lyrics.