subs. phr. (Western American).—See quot.
1888. ROOSEVELT, Ranch Life and the Hunting-Trail. [A BAD MAN] is generally understood to mean a professional fighter or man-killer, but who is sometimes perfectly honest. These men who do most of the killing in frontier communities: yet the men who are killed generally deserve their fate. They are used to brawling, are sure shots, and able to ‘draw’ their weapon with marvellous quickness. They think nothing of murder, are the terror of their associates, yet are very chary of taking the life of a man of good standing, and will often ‘weaken’ and ‘back down’ at once if confronted fearlessly. Stockmen have united to put down these dangerous characters, and many localities once infested by BAD MEN are now perfectly law-abiding. [Abridged.]
