<jargon> (From the 1930 Sellar & Yeatman parody "1066 And All
That") Something that can't possibly result in improvement of
the subject. This term is always capitalised, as in
"Replacing all of the 9600-baud modems with bicycle couriers
would be a Bad Thing".
Opposite: Good Thing.
British correspondents confirm that Bad Thing and Good
Thing (and probably therefore Right Thing and Wrong
Thing) come from the book referenced in the etymology, which
discusses rulers who were Good Kings but Bad Things. This has
apparently created a mainstream idiom on the British side of
the pond.
[Jargon File]
Nearby terms:
backwards compatible « BAD « Bad command or file name « Bad Thing » bag on the side » BAL » balanced computing
