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Glite Dictionary
watch your ass

watch your ass

6 9.9
Be very careful because you could get into trouble
  • idiom
  • Offensive
translation icon : [VULGAR] cuidar tu culo
  • Angel, watch your ass!
  • better watch your ass
  • So watch your ass

Examples

  • Be careful in that meeting; you need to watch your ass around those people.

  • You watch your ass. # JORDAN #

    Fiction book (1997)

  • You best just watch your ass, Homer!

    Fiction book (1999)

  • Watch your ass.

    Blog text (25)

  • You better watch your ass when you speak to him; he doesn't take criticism well.

  • In that neighborhood, you should always watch your ass after dark.

Synonyms

to be careful
vswatch your ass
979 1.0

Take care to avoid danger or getting hurt

is a stronger, more vigilant warning rather than a mild precautionary note
to watch out
vswatch your ass
  • Informal
582 3.0

To be careful to avoid danger or trouble

says to be much more vigilant and urgent than that
to beware
vswatch your ass
136 4.1

Be careful and watch for danger

adds greater urgency and personal danger focus than that caution
to watch one's back
vswatch your ass
  • Informal
104 6.8

Be careful about people who might try to harm you

covers danger from any source, not only threats by other people
to watch it
vswatch your ass
  • Informal
85 5.6

Be careful to avoid danger or upsetting someone

focuses on serious danger and trouble rather than only avoiding offence
on guard
vswatch your ass
27 3.5

Alert and ready to act if danger or problems appear

is an immediate warning demanding strong vigilance rather than passive watchfulness
on your guard
vswatch your ass
6 4.4

Ready and alert to notice danger or problems

is an urgent caution to act now, stronger than this steady readiness
on one's guard
vswatch your ass
4.7

Alert and ready to deal with danger or problems

is used as a direct urgent warning, not just a general state of alertness

Antonyms

careless
14 1.0

A lack of attention that causes mistakes or harm

How Urgent

watch your ass
  • Offensive
6 9.9
to watch out
  • Informal
582 3.0
to watch one's back
  • Informal
104 6.8
to be careful
979 1.0

Surface Forms

watch your ass main

Morphology

watch + your + ass

The verb 'watch' clearly means 'be careful' and combined with a body part yields a warning, so a learner who knows the words can often infer the general sense 'be careful' or 'protect yourself'. However, the expression is slangy/vulgar and carries a threatening or confrontational nuance that is not fully predictable from the literal parts, so the exact force and register may be missed without exposure. This mixture of clear compositionality plus idiomatic pragmatic coloring makes it only partially transparent.

Etymology

Watch your ass likely comes from the older saying 'watch your back', but using ass, a rude word for your body, makes the image stronger and more physical. So, it means 'be very careful' or 'watch for danger'.