Why does the phrase "you got it bad" means "you're crazy about it"? I think the word "bad" sounds negative but the phrase "crazy about it" implies something positive.
Native speaker’s answer
Rebecca
Yeah, I see what you're saying! In this case "bad" doesn't mean something negative. It basically means that someone has strong feelings or emotions for someone else, usually associated with love or liking someone. A potential link is that if someone "has it bad" for someone else, it may not be good for them to feel those strong emotions- like it's obsessive. However, the function of "bad" in this case is to emphasis the amount and the intensity of the emotion, rather than the negative mood. I'm not 100 percent sure why it's used this way! But language develops and evolves as time goes on. So slang like this changes and develops too. Ex: Did you speak to Jane? She has it bad for Jonathan. => an intense crush or liking. Ex: I have it bad for Harry Styles. => To be obsessed with and to like a famous artist.
