Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. the bill, usu. in a café or restaurant.

1910		T.A. Dorgan in Zwilling TAD Lex. (1993) 15: Waiter, what’s the bad news.
1911		L. Chevalier ‘Getting into Society’ Variety Stage Eng. Plays 🌐 Furthermore I got the kale for the cash radiator when the waiter breaks the bad news.
1916		O.O. McIntyre New York Day By Day 15 Sept. [synd. col.] Most of the young bloods had their pockets lined with fish-hooks when it came to settling the bill. [...] After the waiter had slipped them the ‘bad news’ he had to cough for five minutes to get their attention.
1926		Maines & Grant Wise-crack Dict. 5/2: Bad news – piece of pasteboard handed by the waiter after a meal.
1930		J. Lait Gangster Girl 17: And the sap dames who get their hair phoneyed up pay the bad news.
1935		A.J. Pollock Und. Speaks n.p.: The bad news, the bill (check) in a restaurant, speakeasy or night club.
1949		Monteleone Criminal Sl. (rev. edn).

2. an unattractive, unpleasant person or thing.

1919		Wodehouse Damsel in Distress (1961) 31: He wore a little moustache, which to George’s prejudiced eye seemed more a complaint than a moustache. His face was red, his manner dictatorial, and he was touched in the wind. Take him for all in all he looked like a bit of bad news.
1929		H.C. Witwer Yes Man’s Land 168: Well, boys and girls, the Jackie King-Bad News Riley set-to was a natural.
1931		M. Harris ‘Facing the Mob’ in Gangland Stories Feb. 🌐 The Underworld called her ‘Bad News,’ which exactly described her effect on those unfortunates who incurred her displeasure.
1939		Howsley Argot: Dict. of Und. Sl. 6: bad news – a dun; bill collector; dining check.
1946		C.S. Montanye ‘Don’t Meddle with Murder’ in Thrilling Detective May 🌐 ‘Remember Kenny Stangl?’ I led off with. ‘Sure do [...] Bad news in blue serge.’.
1984		P. Corris ‘Stockyards at Jerilderie’ in Heroin Annie [e-book] ‘Who is he?’ ‘Tommy Gibbons. Bad news’.
1950		J.T. Farrell ‘Milly and the Porker’ in Amer. Dream Girl (1950) 196: ‘Say, Bad News,’ Billy said. ‘This is feedin’ time, and now work will ruin my digestion, play hell with my liver [...] So, please!’.
1963		B. Hecht Gaily, Gaily 91: Blondie who’s sitting at your table is a wrong guy. Strictly bad news.
1968		K. Brasselle Cannibals 216: He’s a real bad scene, and there’s a big problem getting chicks to go with him [...] this guy is bad news.
1970		E. Tidyman Shaft 49: Beatrice Thomas was bad news.
1981		J. Wambaugh Glitter Dome (1982) 236: That Lloyd was bad news.
1989		R.G. Barrett Boys from Binjiwunyawunya 185: It didn’t take Les long to realise he was bad news. He was a brute of a man[...] ‘You,’ he snarkled. ‘Fuck off’.
1990		I. Rankin Hide and Seek (1998) 57: God knows. He didn’t know himself. It was like he’d suddenly become bad news. Then he was good news again, and he got that packet.
1993		L. Rodríguez Always Running (1996) 145: This guy is bad news [...] He’s been arrested [...] many times.
1999		Guardian Rev. 9 Oct. 10: An infatuation with diving instructor Enzo, succinctly described as ‘bad news in pants’.
2002		D. Shaw ‘Dead Beard’ at www.asstr.org 🌐 To tell the truth I couldn’t care less about Dionne and Lingers, they’re both bad news but something about Dionne has got on Monica’s threepenny bits.
2005		P. Temple Broken Shore (2007) [ebook] Sam’s in shit because he’s bad news and now he has to cop it.
2006		G. Iles Turning Angel 342: I told that kopile whatever would get his gun out of my mouth. He was bad news, man.
2019		N. Walker Cherry 271: Rider was bad news. He had asked me if I could kill somebody for him [...] Rider was full of shit.

3. a shotgun or revolver.

1929		M.A. Gill Und. Sl. n.p.: Bad news, shot gun.
1949		Monteleone Criminal Sl. (rev. edn).
1990		Tupper & Wortley Aus. Prison Sl. Gloss. 🌐 Bad news. 1. A hand gun.

4. one’s death; usu. in phr. hear the bad news, to be killed.

1931

W.N. Burns One-Way Ride 64: Gangland whispered that Jew Ben at last had heard ‘the bad news.’ While Newark was undressing for bed [...] an assassin killed him with a shot fired through a closed window.

5. the losing throw of three in craps dice.

1935		A.J. Pollock Und. Speaks.
2001		Word for the Wise 31 Aug. [US radio script] A three is known as both acey-deucey and bad news.

6. an unpleasant situation, difficulty, trouble.

1949		Monteleone Criminal Sl. (rev. edn).
1968		‘Sl. of Watts’ in Current Sl. III:2 9: Bad news, n. An uncomfortable or dangerous situation.
1975		E. Torres Carlito’s Way 43: Then you got the faggots. Bad news.
1984		‘Derek Raymond’ He Died with His Eyes Open 105: I’m beginning not to be very fond of you, Eric, which as far as you’re concerned is bad news.
1996		R. Doyle Woman Who Walked Into Doors 2: Only bad news came through that door.

7. a troublesome, threatening person.

1949		A. Hynd We Are the Public Enemies 59: ‘That guy’s bad news,’ said Bonnie. ‘He’s goin’ to make it tough for all of us.’.
1952		I, Mobster 8: All of them were bad news, any way you looked at it.
1960		(con. 1950-1960) R.A. Freeman Dict. Inmate Sl. (Walla Walla, WA) 5: Bad news – a wife.
1978		R. Daley Prince of the City 39: Word spread quickly through the division: this guy Tange is bad news.
1981		M. Baker Nam (1982) 14: I came down with a couple of guys who were Puerto Rican street gang material from the big city and they thought they were bad news.
1990		Tupper & Wortley Aus. Prison Sl. Gloss. 🌐 Bad news. 2. A prisoner who does not abide by the prison code.
1990		S. Geason Shaved Fish 121: If he was the cop I seen with the gun, he’s bad news.
2002		J. Franzen Corrections 286: Like little kids, bad news, man, they pull your tchotchkes off your shelves, they drop food on your carpet.
2004		A. Niffenegger Time Traveler’s Wife 159: Henry, he’s bad news, but he’s Ingrid’s bad news, and you be a fool to mess with him.
2012		T. Piccirilli Last Kind Words 270: ‘You people are bad news’.

8. a pessimist.

1962

C. Clausen I Love You Honey, But the Season’s Over 44: Hey, Bad News, wanna bet those sparklers will set our hair on fire?