Bastard adverbial and adjective
In standard English bastard is of course a noun: "You rotten bastard". I don't recall hearing it used as an adverbial or adjective in other Englishes, but it is in my own English, the Jarrow version of the Geordie dialect of North East England. I remember my father saying, probably in the late 60s on hearing of alleged drug offenses, (maybe it was at the time of the infamous Mars bar bust ): "The Rolling Stones? I wish they'd roll right over the edge of a bastard cliff." Here he was using bastard as an adjectival intensifier, giving the cliff concept a little more colour. Another time I remember him being asked about the whereabouts of some ne'er do well acquaintance, and his reply: "Behind bars. Where he bastard well belongs." Adverbial bastard always conjoined with well . And like its adjectival kin its purpose was to intensify. "I bastard well won't go!" would normally want stress on the won't. The best equivalent to t...