Green’s Dictionary of Slang

a euph. for buggered adj.¹ etc; usu. in phrs. I’ll be sugared! I’m sugared!

1848		‘Epistle from Joe Muggins’s Dog’ in Era (London) 21 May 4/2: I am sugared if I think there’ll be anything else near this lot at the finish.
1879		Melbourne Punch 180/2: I’ll be sugared if I stand it, / With those costumes all on show.
1885		Bulletin (Sydney) 24 Jan. 17/3: I tell you, Mr. Speaker, that to discharge that porter was a blinded shame, and, as for the Minister, he is a liar, a sot –(‘Withdraw!’) – I’ll see you d—d first. I tell this ’Ouse that – (‘Chair!’) – chair be sugared – if this hadn’t been a pore man he would not a bin sacked to make way for a pimp.
1891		Dead Bird (Sydney) 3 Jan. 5/3: He’s done his best to stop us, / But we’re sugared if he can.
1894		J. Astley Fifty Years (2nd edn) II 260: You be sugared, old boy.
1896		Chelmsford Chron. 7 Aug. 5/3: ‘Well, I’ll be sugared! [...] Young ladies bowling along on two wheels!
1897		Capricornian (Rockhampton) 6 Feb. 30/4: Water be sugared! Take a pull at this bottle; it’s Queensland rum.
1902		‘Dads Wayback’ in Sun. Times (Sydney) 7 Sept. 5/4: ‘I see [...] as ther gals has got a vote give ’em? I tells my missus, an’ she sez: ‘Oh, indeed! Well they can keep it. Vote, be sugared!’.
1904		Kipling ‘The Bonds of Discipline’ in Traffics and Discoveries 47: Antonio, ’oo had ’is ’ammick ’ove at ’im with general instructions to sling it an’ be sugared.
1912		Bulletin (Sydney) 19 Dec. 8/4: ‘What the Gehenna [...] is the old blighter slowing down for?’ he inquires angrily. / ‘Sugared if I know,’ answers the third.
1916		Coventry Eve. Teleg. 13 Nov. 1/6: If ’e don’t go an’ muddle up ’is spouses to-day, I’ll be sugared.
1923		‘Bartimeus’ ‘The Lights’ in Seaways 71: The Flag Lieutenant [...] said ‘Trap be sugared!’ twice, with passionate emphasis.
1930		N. Lindsay Redheap (1965) 50: ‘Murder be sugared,’ exclaimed Robert.