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I was wondering if anyone can fill me in on why my answer from a question the other day on a polite replacement for badass (as a noun), seen here. I've done some searching on meta, but have come up without an answer.

I did find a post by user Mari-Lou A discussing the issue of down-voting and what is proper and not, but that did not answer my question exactly. The only legitimate reason I could think someone had with my answer was part of point 8. Certainly, my answer shows no research, but I am not sure how my answer could be wrong. The only research my answer needed was in the question itself: the asker provided the context he wanted the replacement for, and I provided words I have used as a replacement.

The other thought I had was that maybe someone was off-put by my comment on "queenly figure," which worries me a bit. I did not intend for that to be offensive. I'm worried someone may have read that as meaning that queens are not commanding, which could not be further from what I meant. I merely meant a queen, as far as where my brain goes with it, commands with a calmer hand and more level-headed presence than the typical, popularized king.

Ultimately, if there is something I did wrong, I would love to know so I can avoid it in the future! It is not my goal to be an annoying new user.

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    Sometimes downvotes come as part of the territory. I get them pretty much every week; most of them are unexplained. Usually I'll try to figure out if I can improve my answer, but it's not uncommon for me to ultimately scratch my head, and let it stand. I couldn't find anything wrong with your answer, but I very much appreciate the constructive way you addressed the issue here. I'm looking forward to reading more of your contributions.
    – J.R.
    Jun 28, 2013 at 19:53
  • Thank you for the kind words, J.R. I appreciate it.
    – Magoo111
    Jun 30, 2013 at 2:32

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I would guess that somebody thought kingly figure was 'not useful' in this context. Badass doesn't mean 'kingly'; it is related to 'cool' and admirability, but not leadership. More importantly, the two are so different in register that it is difficult to imagine any context in which substituting one for the other would not get you laughed at. That certainly is a good reason for a downvote, where simple disagreement is not.

(It wasn't my vote; I don't know or care enough about this sort of slang to get involved. But in a context where tone is vital, you must be extra careful that your suggestions do not mislead OP.)

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    I wouldn't say my answer was misleading. I'll admit that kingly figure is a more farcical suggestion than the others, but I do not find it 'not useful'. Less useful than the other two, yes, but if I use the definition provided by the free dictionary, focusing mainly on the idea of being majestic, I find it a decent substitute depending on his usage. It would be awful for, say, a mercenary walking away from an explosion, but not a PMC company leader walking away from the same explosion. Further, the OP mentions authority in his definition of badass.
    – Magoo111
    Jun 28, 2013 at 14:22
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    No point complaining to me; I'm just pointing out a possibility. Somebody thought your answer so bad that it was worth losing a point of rep to downvote. That you disagree is not surprising, but doesn't mean you are entitled to keep arguing till he changes his mind.
    – Tim Lymington
    Jun 28, 2013 at 14:27
  • I will accept the answer though, since it did help me understand the logic behind the vote. Much obliged.
    – Magoo111
    Jun 28, 2013 at 14:28
  • I did not mean to come off as complaining and I apologize that I did. I just wanted to add my justification for any other readers passing through.
    – Magoo111
    Jun 28, 2013 at 14:31
  • I didn't vote on any of the answers (though I've just closevoted it as POB), but I agree with Tim that "kingly" wasn't in the least suitable for the original OP's context. Since that seemed to be the answerer's primary offering, it doesn't seem unreasonable to me that it should be downvoted.
    – FumbleFingers
    Jun 28, 2013 at 14:55
  • +1 I agree with Tim's answer. Anyone who is likely to use the expression "badass" is never going to substitute that meaning with a "king" or "kingly" figure. I understand where you're coming from, but it's an unhappy choice and simply doesn't "match" the connotations of badass.
    – Mari-Lou A
    Jun 29, 2013 at 3:56
  • This is all still a theory, though. For all we know, the downvoter might simply be sick and tired of the trite and overused epic, and downvoted before reading the entire answer. (I'm not saying that's a more plausible theory, I'm just pointing out that, until the downvoter explains, we're stuck in the Land of Conjecture).
    – J.R.
    Jun 29, 2013 at 9:50

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