Friday, July 21, 2006

Damn

DAMN, n. A word formerly much used by the Paphlagonians, the meaning of which is lost. By the learned Dr. Dolabelly Gak it is believed to have been a term of satisfaction, implying the highest possible degree of mental tranquillity. Professor Groke, on the contrary, thinks it expressed an emotion of tumultuous delight, because it so frequently occurs in combination with the word jod or god, meaning "joy." It would be with great diffidence that I should advance an opinion conflicting with that of either of these formidable authorities.

2006 Update: v.t. To admire verbally or despise in silence.

39 comments:

G said...

Damn! I'm firt a first - in honor of you Minka!

G said...

Damn - that was fisrt!


huumx: hug to u mr. x

Ariel the Thief said...

one of the most useful words of English.

Miz BoheMia said...

*GASPETTY GASP* and DAMN fo sho!

Damn... proof that early onset curmudgeons know a thing or two about naughty! Funkified! Now there is concrete proof that you are my brother! HERMANO I SAY!

eefngu~ Effin' Goo! Wonder if it'll wash off?

Lila said...

Earworm: "Damn! I wish I were your lover."

That lyric always cracks me up.

Anonymous said...

My right damn arm is tingling because I damn well fell asleep on it but I'm not going to complain because Jason "rowwwrrr" Statham starred in my dreams last night. Damn. Just day-um that man is seriously damn fine.

Hot damn! Now we can mildly curse. Does this mean we're all damned? Probably but what a way to go to the world of the damned.

Doug, you damn well rock!

Sar said...

Doug, you can consider today's among my favorites of your updated definitions. But damn, I thought this was a family-friendly, no profanity please site.

And please don't damn me for the following shameless promotion, Doug, but you're all invited aboard my damn fine yacht today!!!

Anonymous said...

damn. i *would* sleep in on a day when you've got such a great word up. not that they're not *all* "great words", mind you, but, well... y'know. damn.

mireille said...

What Willie thought about the coyote. Hope he's feeling better. ♥ Willie ♥ xoxo

Anonymous said...

Mireille: what *i* said when i heard about poor poor Willie! ♥

One of the best uses of the word damn in film, in one of the all-time *best* lines:

“My dear, I don't give a damn.” ~ Rhett Butler (Clark Gable) Gone With the Wind

my *personal* favorite use of the word damn in a film:

"Yeah, 'cause you know what? He never appreciated you anyway. In fact, *you* kicked *him* out and now that he's gone you're gonna go into town, go to Bloomingdales, find some nice dresses, you know, maybe find somewhere you can get, you know, a facial. Oh, and hire a decorator to come in here fast because... damn. ~ Jay (Will Smith) Men in Black

TLP said...

When I was growin' up in TN, it was most frequently used with Yankee. In fact I musta been 10 before I realized that "damnyankee" wasn't one word. It is pronounced day-um of course.

I love your update. Right on. Damn! Wish I'd said that.

Mistress Anna said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
The amoeba said...

DAMN, v. To block or impede, as with logs, concrete, or an epithet.

There's a translation of the New Testament (the Scholar's Version), created in the belief that existing versions fail to convey the spirit of the original texts. A translation that believes that phrases like "Blessed are" and "Woe to" are dead, because they are do not express the performative language of the original Greek, do not use words that bestow upon the recipient the desired attribute. Their translation does. Thus:

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites."

becomes:

"You scholars and Pharisees, you phonies! Damn you!"

Now that's preachin'.

FirstNations said...

Damn:
erected by rodents, the number of 'a's' verbalized denoting the bodaciousness of the female damn builders propulsive appendage and its ability to inspire 'wood'.

Doug The Una said...

I think we'll see some usages today, g, starting with you.

Absolutely, Ariel. And here you were probably taught Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, etc. first.

Miz B, if everyone who uses "Damn" is a sibling to you then you are as all prophets have told us to be.

Thanks, Jenna. Damn kind of you to say so. I hope your damn armn feels f***ing better.

Sar, I've damn well been there. I'll come back when you get some damn sharks.

Puppybrose, da-*yawn*

Thanks, Mireille. The updated report is he's already putting weight on the broken leg and trying to convince me to let him run after critters. Can't keep a good dog down.

Puppybrose, that's a great use of the word in a movie. My favorite was the Star Trek movie when they came back to contemporary earth to save the whales and after being in San Francisco for awhile, Spock says to Kirk "One damn minute, Captain!"

TLP, take a moment to look up "Yankee" in the online Devil's Dictionary.

Mistress Anna, Rod Serling had a good ear, didn't he?

O Ceallaigh, spoken with the tongue of an angel (I know I'm repeating but I do really like I Corinthians)

Hahahaha, First Nations. You're a saucy dam-builder.

Unknown said...

i should have been here earlier, dammit!

when Americans want to say 'damn', they say 'darn', which really is a polite way of saying 'damn' because they sure aren't darning a damn thing

gaikqsv: gagging on icky quirky solvent

Anonymous said...

Hot damn puppies grub: The dinner time call for our canine kids.

Anonymous said...

Gasp! Was that a covert f-bomb??

Day-um!!

Anonymous said...

damn the closest to a swear word that I ever heard my father say, that also served as a warning that you may want to find something else to do - somewhere else - NOW.

"Sex without love is a meaningless experience, but as far as meaningless experiences go its pretty damn good.” - Woody Allen

The Village Idiot said...

oh my movie quotes by puppybrose

Damn, I fell victim to one of the classic blunders.

Never get involved in a land war in Asia...

and second but usually overlooked, don't leave your orange spikes out in the sun. It burns your bald head when you put it back on.

Anonymous said...

Of course there's the Queen of the Damned...Anne Rice

The Village Idiot said...

and Village of the Damned

and A funny thing happened on the way to the Damn

and Sweeny Todd...oh wait... yes that works, the Damn Demon Barber of Fleet Street...want a meat pie?

and Damn the Torpedos, full steam ahead.

Anonymous said...

I'm damn happy I made it here at lunch.

I have no clever interpretation of the word in bierce fashion- my edge is slowly fading.........I am damned to mediocrity.

LeMas. said...

damn-once a way to get your mouth washed out with soap...now, not so much since most people are just glad you didn't say *#&@()*!@$*%&#@!

Doug The Una said...

Karma, I'm more of a dang guy.

Joel, I bet they'd come if you called "pebbles! Get yer pebbles!"

Flipping, Jenna. That was flipping.

CJ, "Damn" is the closest thing to a prayer I ever heard my father say.

Puppybrose, I have no idea but for fun let's say yer darn tootin'

a4g, that's a burden most of us carry lightly.

See, V.I. That's good advice. I'd never have known that.

Joel, I think Anne Rice is now the Queen of the Saved.

V.I., or Idiot of the damned village.

Logo, you think I'm good with English, wait'll you hear me in Shark.

Anomie, you mean unless we're saved, right? Do I have to get you tickets to Megafest?

Cooper, mediocrity will never take you alive. Work might.

Masil, that is so true.

Anonymous said...

Then you needed an extra * in there, Doug. I'll let you count on your fingers as you mouth the spelling.

Damn...an f-bomb. *wipes away a tear of pride* I've so corrupted you. I'll be damned for that but enh...whatevs.

Anonymous said...

Damn, all the good comments are taken. And damn it Doug, I so admire your definitions

Feel as if you're just beginning to hit your peak. But damn I thought so last year

And damn, I have to further thank you for making my birthday so special. Know you're cursing me in a different manner :-)

Anonymous said...

Doug...so right...Anne Rice has damned Lestat and the other vampires to literary mothballs in favor of her newfound Christianity.

TLP said...

Damnitall, I'm a bloody idiot! I never clicked that link before (online Devil's Dictionary). So many links aren't worth a damn, that I forget to have faith and try them.

Damn,adj., of little value.

Minka said...

Damn it... CJ got my quote!

Miz BoheMia said...

Who talked about everyone huh buddy boy? I was talking about you but pffft if you don't like me being your damn sistah!

*sniff, sniff* *boo, hoo* and all that...

Anonymous said...

DAMN the boomers now thundering outside...seriously curtailing exercise plans for this day...where are the cookies?

G said...

DAMN joel, it's crazy out here in Queens! Thunder! lightning! pouring!

I'm signing off for now folks!

The Gnat's Trumpet said...

To complement falsly.

I know, I know! Its pretty much exactly the same as your modern adjustment, and I almost withdrew it when I realized (not the quickest on the uptake am I), but what the hey, I've been drawing blanks recently and it felt good to have something pop into my head - even if I was really just copying you.

Anonymous said...

VI: i wasn't trying to rain on your damn movie quote parade... actually, i'm surprised you didn't correct my Gone with the Wind quote, because it *should* have read:

"Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn." (kind of you not to, tho'!)

we're off to walk now, despite the fact that, once those dang boomers passed, it's incredibly humid... and honestly, too damn hot! (however, it's what we must do in order to justify the damn fine Mexican food we'll be dining on, later!)

Doug The Una said...

Jenna, we men of virtue aren't the best spellers or counters either.

Pia, you're doing just fine. I hope it was a grand birthday.

Damning a vampire is pretty low, really, Joel.

Well, darned if you didn't learn something, TLP. It's a big day.

Haha, Minka! Howdy!

¡Dagnabit, Hermana! I just meant a lot of people say "D**n"

Joel, behind the jelly beans.

Stay safe, g.

Gnat, that's alright. I'm sincerely flattered.

Me too, Puppybrose. Enchiladas all around!

Alana said...

damn!!! i actually love that word yet never use it verbally. I have come to realize that I don't have a good filter and being that I spend A LOT of time with children who tend to pick up on all the wrong words (and never the right ones) I try not to use words that I know I might accidentally say in front of one of these aforementioned children...DAMNITT!!!!

Mutha said...

I'm sorry I missed the party as I have been buried under a lot of work. Damned Job.
Love the Planet of the Apes quote and Men in Black.

All I got left is:
"Out! Out, damned spot!"

Doug, I'm geering up some new people in the neighborhood -- so stop on by when you can.

Doug The Una said...

Hahaha, Puppybrose

Squaregirl, I think your job probably requires a lot of filtering and unfiltering. Maybe you should train dolphins instead.

Mutha, me too. It's alright and welcome back. I look forward to the new interviews.