My Bag
This term has been said incorrectly for decades.
For years I've watched people say "my bad," and every time I hear it, I think, "That's not the original phrase."
The original expression is "My bag."
Growing up, I was taught by older generations that "my bag" was the shortened form of the much older expression "left holding the bag." In other words, "It's my responsibility," "I'll take the blame," or "That's on me."
When I was in high school during the 1980s, my friends and I all said "my bag." None of us said "my bad," and if someone had, we'd have corrected them because it simply wasn't the phrase we knew.
Then somewhere along the line, "my bad" started spreading. People heard it, repeated it, and eventually it became the version most people know today. Ask younger generations where the phrase came from, and most can't tell you. They simply learned it by hearing someone else say it.
I'm aware that dictionaries and language websites now recognize "my bad" because that's the version that became popular. But popularity doesn't automatically determine historical origin.
As far as I'm concerned, the original phrase is "my bag," rooted in "left holding the bag."
It's unfortunate that the incorrect version became so widespread, but I'm posting this to shed light on what I believe is the phrase's true history. Maybe it's time we started saying the original expression again: My bag.
For years I've watched people say "my bad," and every time I hear it, I think, "That's not the original phrase."
The original expression is "My bag."
Growing up, I was taught by older generations that "my bag" was the shortened form of the much older expression "left holding the bag." In other words, "It's my responsibility," "I'll take the blame," or "That's on me."
When I was in high school during the 1980s, my friends and I all said "my bag." None of us said "my bad," and if someone had, we'd have corrected them because it simply wasn't the phrase we knew.
Then somewhere along the line, "my bad" started spreading. People heard it, repeated it, and eventually it became the version most people know today. Ask younger generations where the phrase came from, and most can't tell you. They simply learned it by hearing someone else say it.
I'm aware that dictionaries and language websites now recognize "my bad" because that's the version that became popular. But popularity doesn't automatically determine historical origin.
As far as I'm concerned, the original phrase is "my bag," rooted in "left holding the bag."
It's unfortunate that the incorrect version became so widespread, but I'm posting this to shed light on what I believe is the phrase's true history. Maybe it's time we started saying the original expression again: My bag.
My Bag by Warlock1007 June 26, 2026
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