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Glite Dictionary
darn tootin'

darn tootin'

2 9.9
A phrase you say when you strongly agree or feel sure
  • idiom
  • /dɑrn ˈtuːtɪn/
  • Slang
translation icon : claro que sí
  • You're darn tootin' it's going to be a fantastic party!

Examples

Synonyms

and how
vsdarn tootin'
  • Informal
250 8.6

Shows that you agree strongly with what someone says

expresses agreement plus clear certainty rather than only emphasis
damn right
vsdarn tootin'
  • NSFW
54 8.5

Say this to show you strongly agree with something

expresses agreement similarly but in a milder, more playful way
posilutely certain
vsdarn tootin'
  • Informal
9.0

Completely sure in a strong, playful way

expresses strong agreement but less about absolute certainty
indeedy-doody
vsdarn tootin'
  • Informal
9.9

A strong, playful way to say yes

expresses firm agreement with stronger certainty than playful affirmation

How Certain

absolutely
∞ 1.0
you bet
  • Informal
29 7.0
darn tootin'
  • Slang
2 9.9
sure
  • Informal
∞ 1.0
probably
∞ 1.0
maybe
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

darn tootin' positive

Morphology

darn + tootin'

This is a regional colloquial idiom whose emphatic meaning ('absolutely; definitely') cannot be compositionally derived from 'darn' (a mild exclamation) plus 'tootin'' (a dialectal/phonetic form with no clear lexical meaning here). There is no transparent semantic link between literal 'toot'/'tooting' and expressing agreement, so a B1 learner who only knows the constituents would not reliably infer the idiomatic sense.

Etymology

Darn tootin' may come from the picture of someone using a mild swear (darn) and loudly blowing a horn (tootin') to give a strong 'yes'. That's why it now means 'absolutely' or 'definitely'.