Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(mainly US black) used to form generally negative (but increasingly positive too) adjs. and occas. nouns, e.g. bitch-ass adj.; candy-ass n.; dog-ass n.; drag-ass adj.

1953		W. Fisher Waiters 162: ‘Looka these poor white bastards oglin’ us.’ [...] ‘Pay ’em no mind, babes,’ he said. ‘Pay ’em no rabbit-ass mind.’.
1957		T.T. Chamales Never So Few (1958) 218: The dirty sneaky-ass little shit.
1957		Kerouac On The Road (1972) 109: I would give my last arm to [...] find out just what he’s poor-ass pondering about.
1959		I. & P. Opie Lore and Lang. of Schoolchildren (1977) 175: To turn a verb or adjective into a descriptive noun, as: creep-ass, squall-ass.
1960		C. Cooper Jr Scene (1996) 38: You’re nothing but a jive, trick, junkie-ass punk, and you know it.
1961		R. Gover One Hundred Dollar Misunderstanding 71: I don’ know what in the wide-ass worl’ I do t’hurt him, but I sure know I do. [Ibid.] 134: He leave my poor Nigger Pickaninny me all alone on that madass hiway in this great big blackass Madam car.
1964		H. Selby Jr Last Exit to Brooklyn 291: He selected his brown suit [...] and man, its a sharpass suit. [Ibid.] 294: Abe was a coolass stud.
1967		A. Baraka Tales (1969) 14: Get away from my grease. Hungry ass spooks.
1968		J. Hersey Algiers Motel Incident 66: Your pimp-ass son, we’re glad he’s dead.
1969		‘Iceberg Slim’ Mama Black Widow 169: You don’t have to go hincty on ugly ass Railhead.
1969		‘Iceberg Slim’ Pimp 80: You’re pimping too hard skinny ass nigger. [Ibid.] 171: Those cold-ass white broads in Heaven ain’t got what these black whores in Hell got between their legs.
1970		B. Naughton Alfie Darling 272: It suddenly struck me what a slobass I was to bother.
1971		D. Goines Dopefiend (1991) 56: It was that goddam dopefiend-ass bitch. [Ibid.] 144: Don’t nobody but common-ass Negroes use that word. [Ibid.] 187: We goin’ to leave you in this fuckin’-ass motel. [Ibid.] 249: Six funky-ass dollars . . . I risked my life for six stinking-ass dollars.
1971		T.C. Bambara Gorilla, My Love (1972) 15: We shut up and watch the simple ass picture.
1971		T. Thackrey Thief 27: My stupid-ass nephew’s smarter than that.
1972		O. Hawkins Ghetto Sketches 174: We all know you hung up on that funny-ass horn you playin’ and all.
1972		T.C. Bambara ‘The Lesson’ in Gorilla, My Love (1972) 91: Who wants to know about your smelly-ass stationery.
1973		(ref. to 1930s) E. Williams Emlyn 251: I thought, it’s a funny world and sucks to Alfred Drayton, spoke my first silly-ass scene [...] with the faintest drawl.
1974		V.E. Smith Jones Men 83: Coming from you man, that is some funny-ass shit.
1975		B. Greer Slammer (1977) 101: You tell that tier boy to leave your cell open, peach ass.
1975		E. Torres Carlito’s Way 40: Every time Steinhardt gets an answer to his stupid-ass questions he looks at the jury.
1976		(con. 1969) C.R. Anderson Grunts 42: All these petty-ass dictators in these new countries.
1976		C. Durden No Bugles, No Drums 122: We were a long-ass way from Panasonic’s prime sales region.
1976		P. Conroy Great Santini (1977) 437: That fuckin’ lyin’-ass Jew.
1977		E. Bunker Animal Factory 81: Yeah ... to stick in that greasy Puerto Rican for tryin’ that stale ass game.
1977		J. Sayles Union Dues (1978) 182: Even Simple Simon’s little girl, one of the most nothin-ass bitches ever turned out in the history of the Life, even she had got the nod already. [Ibid.] 277: The standard Do, big and bad and kinking out from all angles of his head, look like one of those evil-ass weeds grows its way up through the pavement and then just hangs out.
1985		(con. 1968) D.A. Dye Citadel (1989) 185: Subcaliber fucking bang-sticks and a couple of measly-assed hand grenades.
1985		(con. 1969–70) D. Bodey F.N.G. (1988) 280: The whole fuckin’ thing changes around mighty-ass fast.
1989		Kirk & Madsen After The Ball 353: A new type of prude [...] softcocked, hard-hearted creatures, cold-assed and hot-tempered.
1993		Source Nov. 26: We’re just trying to make dope-ass music.
1997		L. Pettiway Workin’ It 219: Damn! Look at this ugly-ass bitch.
1997		Simon & Burns Corner (1998) 222: ‘I can’t stand a beggin’ ass bitch.’ [...] ‘I can’t stand a broke-ass man.’ [Ibid.] 272: Even if this country-ass suit actually fit him, he still wouldn’t tell his mother.
1997		(con. 1970s) G. Pelecanos King Suckerman (1998) 15: I’ll be out having a good-ass time.
1998		(con. 1986) G. Pelecanos Sweet Forever 255: He’d snorted, laughed shortly, said something about ‘those simple-ass motherfuckers’. [Ibid.] 291: Damn [...] That’s a pretty-ass Riviera.
1999		Dr Dre ‘Ackrite’ 🎵 Snobby-ass bitches get slapped out of spite.
2000		Eminem ‘Amityville’ 🎵 Bitches know me as a horny ass freak / Their mother wasn’t raped, I ate her pussy while she was ’sleep.
2000		F.X. Toole Rope Burns 154: Hymn open up on Broadway and South Central [...] Long-ass way for somebody like Danger.
2000		Hip-Hop Connection Jan./Feb. 60: The afro chic clothes: high ass shoes, knits, leathers.
2000		W. Shaw Westsiders 290: Master P is performing at some little stupid-ass show. [Ibid.] 344: I had friends who had a mother and father at home. They had a cool-assed life.
2001		S. King Dreamcatcher 391: When they’re playing rummy [...] and someone makes a goof-ass discard.
2001		D. Looser Boobslang [U. Canterbury D.Phil. thesis] 67/1: fake-ass nigger n. = plastic gangster.
2003		50 Cent ‘In da Club’ 🎵 I’m that cat by the bar toasting to the good life / You that faggot ass nigga trying to pull me back right?
2006		G. Iles Turning Angel 173: Some gay-ass white boy?
2006		G. Pelecanos Night Gardener 41: ‘Please,’ said Charles. ‘Beggin ass bitch.’.
2010		A. Steinberg Running the Books 55: You fucking cunt ass ho, you got the stinkiest damn pussy in this whole place.
2012		‘Dutch’ ? (Pronounced Que) [ebook] Being willing to commit an act of murder with him [...] was the ultimate show of loyalty. Drama would see she was a down-ass chick.
2013		J. Stahl Happy Mutant Baby Pills 132: Living in Echo Park, banging out cool-ass webcasts, maybe being in a band.
2013		T. Robinson Hard Bounce [ebook] ‘We don’t give a good shit about your whiny, pansy-ass music’.
2016		Mother Jones July/Aug. 🌐 You might as well go with the flow. Get this free-ass, easy-ass money, and go home.
2018		‘Aidan Truhen’ Price You Pay 102: Lab rats for some freaky ass experiment.
2020		C. Hiaasen Squeeze Me 33: ‘If I did own a firearm, why would I bother keeping that lame-ass bug-zapper?’.
2020		D. Whish-Wilson Shore Leave 39: His cheap-ass watch, a fake Rolex.
2021		T. Pluck Boy from County Hell 16: I saw what my fancy-ass neighbors who smiled in church really were.