I'll be damned if
- idiom
- NSFW
:
¡me niego a!
- And I'll be damned if I come back down to try and fill a gap.
And I'll be damned if I come back down to try and fill a gap.
- And I'll be damned if I come back down to try and fill a gap.
Examples
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And I'll be damned if you're not gonna learn it.
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I'm not going to walk the street either, and I'll be damned if I'm going to go hungry.
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But I'll be damned if I know where to go.
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I'll be damned if they get me without a fight.
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I'll be damned if I'm gonna show her my back.
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But I'll be damned if you're gonna pass on me because of the way I dress.
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I'll be damned if they weren't right.
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I'll be damned if she didn't get the last word in again.
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I'll be damned if he doesn't.
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And I'll be damned if I come back down to try and fill a gap.
Synonyms
A strong way to refuse a suggestion or request
A way to say you are surprised or do not believe something
How Defiant
Surface Forms
Morphology
Although learners can recognise the literal words ('I will', 'be', 'damned', 'if') and 'damned' signals strong feeling, the idiomatic function of the whole formula ('I will be damned if...') as a conventional marker of refusal, defiance, or disbelief is not transparently derivable from the parts. The pragmatic, culture-specific expletive use and the fixed clause pattern make the expression unpredictable for a B1 learner who has not seen it before.
Etymology
The phrase I'll be damned if comes from a strong oath where someone said they would be damned, or 'sent to hell', before something could happen. So today it is a forceful way to show refusal or disbelief.