Darn it / Damn it

Question

Hi, guys!Is there any significant difference between them two? Which is more stronger, offensive? Or can they be used equally and that actually doesn't matter which one I use?

Nona the brit · Accepted Answer

Darn is a euphemism for ****, so it's a lot weaker. **** might be seen as blasphemous by some people.

Ruslana · Answer

If I knew what 'euphemism' is, it would be much easier to grasp it. <img class='emoticon' style='Width:19px;Height:19px;' data-delaysrc='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/10.gif' src='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/10.gif' alt='Emotion: embarrassed'/> Anyway, thanks, Nona! [f]

Kooyeen · Answer

Dammit is my favorite interjection... it would be a pity to ruin it ans say "darnit"! LOL.

Well, actually my favorite interjection is another, and I think I have a lot of them, but let's say "dammit" is good too

Anonymous · Answer

euphism means another word for, DARN AND **** are synonyms, meaning the same definition, different spellings. **** is a word that is considered offensive, I would have to agree though, that Darn is a pretty weak word, try DAGGONE!! or RATS!!! And add emphasis to it using exclamation mark (s). This is how yoou add strength to your words, not by using offensive words, or words that may sound weak because there is no UMPH to them.

BarbaraPA · Answer

Ruslana, if this helps, my children are allowed to say darn and darn it, but not **** or dammit. At least, not around me.

Ruslana · Answer

Yes, Barb! That helps because, if even children are allowed to say that, that's okay.

To Anon:

Thanks for the explanations.

To Kooyeen:

I think I'll abstain from using dammit. At least, when GG is around.

Becky In Poland · Answer

I agree that it would be better to learn a different expression like "rats!". It is upsetting to me when nonnative speakers learn the "bad words" quickly and feel like they have to use them....sometimes more freely than any other word. In my youth, I was taught that people who constantly used swear words didn't have much of a vocabulary and thus, when something bad happened they couldn't think of anything else to say, so they used them. In other words, they lack a good vocabulary.

We're strict and we don't let our kids use "darn" either...simply because of what it does substitute for. The word "****" has to do with condemning someone to eternal punishment. That is why it is considered a strong word...especially if you say, "**** you".

Becky

Ruslana · Answer

Thanks, Becky, I'll take it into account. But I think it's somehow necessary to know bad words, too. The other question is whether to use them or not. Sometimes foreign people around me say slang words or swear, and since I want to understand them, I need to understand those words too to know what's going on with a person.

Kooyeen · Answer

RuslanaTo Kooyeen:

I think I'll abstain from using dammit. At least, when GG is around.

Well, it all depends on people's perception of the language, as always. I believe Californian teenagers don't use English the same way as 50-year-old New Yorkers, for example. This is true for many languages... I don't talk like my mother or my father! So, I would say that "****" is a neutral word, nothing wrong with it... I think many people think the same, especially young people. I also think young people and teenagers tend to use more swear words... And those who swear all the time tend to be labeled as "rude and uneducated" by those who don't, but it's actually just a matter of how language is used.

That said, you can also change the way you use your language sometimes. We all do it, sometimes unconsciously. So, even though I think there's nothing wrong with "****" or "*******", "the ****" or the F-word as instensifiers, I don't use them here (or at least I try not to) because I know many people here would not like to see them. I even try to avoid "***", although I use it in "Thank ***"...

So in the end it's not a matter of "good" or "bad", in my opinion, because what's a bad word for someone might be a common plain word for another.

MrPedantic · Answer

I think "darn it" can sound a little odd, in a BrE environment.

For myself, I prefer it when non-native speakers use forceful phrases from their first languages. It's much more impressive.

Alternatively, you can remain silent, when you hit your thumb with the hammer, and acquire a reputation for imperturbability.

MrP

Darn it / Damn it

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