Green’s Dictionary of Slang

goldarn v.

a euph. for god-damn v.; occas. as excl. (see cit. 1885).

1824		Commercial Advertiser (N.Y.) 29 Aug. 2/2: ‘Gall darn ye,’ said a long limbed yankee, [...] ‘you deserve to be nibbled to death by ducks.’.
1832		Buckingham in New Eng. Mag. III 380: We have [...] ‘Gaul darn you’ for G—— d—— you [...] and other creations of the union of wrath and principle [DA].
1864		Westmorland Gaz. 19 Mar. 3/5: Americanisms [...] A Yankee [says] gaul darn your picter, by golly, golly crimus.
1869		C.G. Leland ‘Breitmann in Politics’ in Hans Breitmann About Town 39: Goll darn me for a fool, / I’ll smash old Dutch to cholera fits / And rake the eternal pool!
1874		Southern Mag. XIV 119: But goll darn it, a school marm gits me dead.
1880		News & Herald (Winnsboro, SC) 13 July 1/2: Gaul darn it, father, I won’t be laughed at.
1885		Harper’s Mag. Aug. 397/2: Hannah-Maria-Jemimy! goldarn an’ blue blazes! [DA].
1894		‘O. Henry’ ‘A Successful Political Intrigue’ in Rolling Stones (1913) 155: Gol darn it! I will say what I want to.
1899		H. Garland Boy Life on the Prairie 51: Goldarn these damn old boots.
1909		R. Service ‘The Ballad of Blasphemous Bill’ in Ballads of a Cheechako 54: And at last I spoke: ‘Bill liked his joke; but still, goldarn his eyes’.
1920		S. Lewis Main Street (1921) 176: Kennicott muttering ‘Gol darn it,’ but patiently creeping out of bed.
1931		Townsville Daily Bull. (Qld) 7 July 11/5: ‘Gol darn the engineer,’ I roared.
1932		(con. 1919) Dos Passos Nineteen Nineteen in USA (1966) 649: Goldarn it, I don’t want to work at a desk.
1934		‘Roy Bean’ in Lomax & Lomax Amer. Ballads and Folk Songs 413: Bean, now hurry up, gol durn your eyes.
1939		Wodehouse Uncle Fred in the Springtime 86: ‘Gol durn yuh, l’il gal, as my spooked-up-with-vinegar friend would say, you’re a peach!’.
1953		J. Thompson Savage Night (1991) 28: Goldarn it, Carl, I’m really sorry.

In exclamations

I’ll be goldarned! (also I’ll be gaul-darned! ...goll-darned! ...gol-durned! ...gol-walloped!)

a euph. for I’ll be goddamned! under god-damn v.

1849		N.O. Picayune 6 May 2/6: I’ll be gaul-durned ef I deu [DA].
1873		W.H. Thomes Bushrangers 14: My new-found friend acknowledged that some parties had made fortunes through his aid. ‘But they don’t come it any more, I’ll be goll darned if they do,’ cried Hopeful.
1879		A. Pinkerton Reminiscences 192: I’ll be gol-walloped ef I don’t believe [...] the female boss can’t be lifted again.
1887		G. Devol Forty Years a Gambler 167: I’ll be gol darned if you didn’t get me.
1896		Overland Monthly (CA) July 34: I’ll be gol darned if I ain’t smoked out Gopher Bill!
1901		T. Hammond On Board a Whaler 180: I’ll be goll darned if I know.
1964		Mrs L.B. Johnson White House Diary 17 July (1970) 183: Well, I’ll be gol-durned — the salesman that sold it to me said it was Harry Truman in his ceremonial Masonic clothes!
1989		L. Karr Treasure Hunt 112: ‘Lookee here!’ He triumphantly held up a small white card. ‘I’ll be goldarned if it ain’t the one that Ronald gave me’.
1995		S. Fischler Goalies 86: Well, he got hit there, [...] and I’ll be goldarned if he didn’t quit hockey.