English

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Etymology

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Partially from ass, and partially from a corruption or simplification of assed.

Suffix

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-ass (originally African-American Vernacular, chiefly Canada, US, slang, vulgar)

  1. Used to intensify an adjective.
    That's a big-ass wrench you've got there.
    • 2006 October 1, Dennis Lehane, “Refugees” (00:32:06), in The Wire, season 4, episode 4:
      Wilson: He's right. They endorse Royce, fine, 'the hell else they gonna do? But what they say and don't say from the pulpit the Sunday before the primary we still got a dog in that fight.
      Carcetti: I do this right, they respect it.
      Wilson: An' if they don't, at least they get to see a beggin’-ass white man on his knees. Always a feel-good moment for the folks.
    • 2012, Joss Whedon, The Avengers, Marvel Studios:
      I recognize that the council has made a decision, but given that it's a stupid-ass decision, I've elected to ignore it.
    • 2018, “Work It”, in Working Class Woman, performed by Marie Davidson:
      You've got to work with me
      Now, I don't wanna see any fake-ass workers
      I need real builders
  2. Used to convert an adjective into a noun for a person who has that trait.
    Don't be such a broke-ass—you can afford a fast-food run today!
  3. Resembling.
    That's some Nixon-ass shit he's pulling.
    What's that formal-ass language you're using? We're at a party!

Synonyms

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Derived terms

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See also

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Anagrams

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