My bad

Question

0 I've noticed the American idiom "my bad!" meaning "it's my fault" or "my mistake" creeping into tv shows and magazine interviews.  Is it a relatively new expression, or has it always been around?  Why has it suddenly appeared on the radar?  0-

Marius Hancu · Accepted Answer

0 The Atlantic archive only shows its use during the last decade. 0-

Nona the brit · Answer

0 I think it emerged from some American teenager shows - I'm sure it was used a lot in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. 0-

Yankee · Answer

0Yes, the expression is new -- at least in "mainstream" AmE.  I remember being horrified the first time I heard it used in a business meeting. 050010id3

Philip · Answer

0 01b01font00It's an extension (about 15 years old, I'd say) of "my fault"....an exact translation of 01i00mea culpa02i00".05002font02b00 010id5

BarbaraPA · Answer

0I don't find it horrifying, because I find that people are far too reluctant to accept fault, and this is a fairly painless way for people to admit it was their mistake.02br
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00The "non-apology" has become standard - I regret that there were difficulties resulting from my action. If people find it easier to say "Yes, it was my bad. Sorry about that." then it's a good thing. At least they are using a first person pronoun.02br
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00But I think it's only been a couple years that I've been hearing it in mainstream English.0-

Yankee · Answer

0Hi Barb02br
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00I agree with your point, but do you actually like the expression? My first exposure to it was at a time when I was living overseas. The first time I heard it was when I was helping a student out with a telecon. Suddenly one of the native speakers said "My bad". I honestly didn't know whether to laugh or cry. 02br
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00My feelings toward it have mellowed somewhat since then, but I still don't like the expression itself very much.0-

BarbaraPA · Answer

0Hmmm. Do I like it? I don't know. It's so easy to say and makes it easy to do something that otherwise is hard for people to do (admit a mistake). It would be cool if "mea culpa" were in vogue like "my bad" is - equally easy to say. I like its compactness - it's quicker to move on than it is with "Oh, sorry, that's an error," or "Oops, yeah, that was a mistake."02br
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00I don't have an aversion to it the way I did "... NOT!" that mercifully seems to have faded. And in a business setting, I probably prefer it to "oopsie!" 05002br
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00One of the things I find interesting is how some people have a negative reaction to words or phrase, while the same phrase to another person is like putting on the most comfortably pair of jeans... I just hate seeing "wanna" in text, for example. And I hate that "vision" is now a verb in the buzzword lexicon of consultants. 010id1

Philip · Answer

1b01font00A number of years ago I was at one of those membership warehouse stores, and the cashier's assistant was juggling a 3-pound can of coffee. When she lost control, it fell on my Birkenstock-clad foot, and it hurt like heck. "Oh, my fault," was all she could come up with. 02font02b01font00I was so angry that I shouted something like, "You're darn right it's your fault - you don't expect me to take the blame for something so stupid, do you? What ever happened to, "Oh sir, I'm sorry. Do you think you're alright? Please don't sue Costco and make me lose my job!" I left it at that. I was o.k., but bruised and in pain for several days. 02font0-

My bad

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