or darned, verb and ppl. adj. (colloquial).—Euphemistic forms of ‘damn’ and ‘damned’; used to avoid ‘cussing bar’-foot.’ Also DARNATION, DANGNATION, DARN BURN IT, and DARN or DASH MY BUTTONS or WIG.—See DAD-BINGED and OATHS for synonyms.
c. 1840. West of England Ballad [quoted in The Literary World, 11 April, 1890, p. 347, col. 1].
| But if he’d know’d he’d got so much money, | |
| He DARNED HIS BUTTONS if he’d gi’ed ’un the shillin’. |
1880. G. R. SIMS, Zeph and Other Stories, p. 87. I shall bring you to your senses, Bess, now, my girl, and you won’t be so DARNED fast refusin’ a good offer.
1888. Harper’s Magazine. My experience has taught me that in Colorado the man who tells the first story has a DARNED poor show.
