dadburn thing
- noun
- /ˈdædˌbɜrn θɪŋ/
- Archaic
:
maldita cosa
- Every time I try to fix the printer, that dadburn thing jams again.
Examples
-
I can't get this dadburn thing to fit into the slot.
-
I can't believe that dadburn thing broke again!
-
He tripped over the dadburn thing left in the hallway.
-
Oh, that dadburn thing is so annoying!
-
Every time I try to fix the printer, that dadburn thing jams again.
-
Oh, that dadburn thing is so annoying!
-
I can't believe that dadburn thing broke again!
Synonyms
139
7.4
A short mild word people say to show surprise, annoyance, or strong feeling
50
9.9
A rude strong swear word people say when angry or frustrated
15
8.4
A short angry cry people say when they feel annoyed or frustrated
14
9.9
A strong rude shout people use when they feel very angry or shocked
1
9.9
People say a strong angry word when they feel very annoyed
1
9.9
A mild phrase people say to show annoyance without using strong swear words
1
9.9
Showing mild anger or strong dislike about something
A short word said to show mild surprise, annoyance, or frustration
An old-fashioned word people say to show disbelief or annoyance
How Strong
Surface Forms
Morphology
dadburn + thing
The evaluative meaning comes from 'dadburn', which is a minced-oath euphemism and not compositionally analyzable from its apparent parts, while 'thing' is just a generic noun. An average B1 learner who only knows the literal constituents would not be able to derive the exclamatory/pejorative sense, so the expression is idiomatic and unpredictable.
Etymology
Dadburn thing comes from people changing the swear 'Goddamn' into a softer sound like dadburn and then using thing to point at an object. So, it is a mild way to show 'annoyance' without strong 'swear words'.