my bad
That was my mistake; I admit that that was my fault. Primarily heard in US. Susan: "Jerry, I asked you to do the dishes an hour ago, and they're still piled in the sink!" Jerry: "Oops, my bad, honey. I'll do them right now."
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
my bad
VERY INFORMALPeople say my bad to mean that something is their fault. Whoops! Sorry dudes! My bad!
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012
my bad
used to acknowledge responsibility for a mistake. North American informalFarlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
ˈmy bad
(American English, informal) used when you are admitting that something is your fault or that you have made a mistake: I’m sorry — my bad. ♢ No, it’s my bad. I’m the one that got caught taking stuff.Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
My bad
phr. It’s my fault and I’m sorry. My bad. It won’t happen again.
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
my bad
Slang Used to acknowledge that one is at fault.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
mea culpa
It’s my fault, my mistake. The term was taken over from Latin as far back as the 1200s and continues to be used in this way. Ian Rankin had it in Strip Jack (1992), “‘You haven’t had a proper lock fitted yet.’ ‘Mea culpa, Inspector. Fear not, one’s on its way.’” A newer slangy version of this ancient Latin expression is my bad, only a few decades old but ubiquitous enough to be considered a cliché. Novelist John Lescroart used it in The Hunt Club (2009): “‘Yeah, you’re right, I’m sorry. My bad.’ Juhle hung his head.”
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer