Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (also goddam) to curse, an all-purpose profanity, used in a variety of oaths; often as God damn me!; thus god-damn it! excl.

1604		Dekker Honest Whore Pt 1 III ii: God dam me, Gentlemen, if she be within.
a.1618		J. Harington Epigrams IV No. 9: Hauing sworne away all faith and troth, / Only God dam’n them is their common oath.
1654		Proceedings before his Highness Councel concerning the Petitioners of the Isle of Ely against George Clapthorne Esqyure 27 Oct. 4: He hath known him to be a common Swearer and Curser [...] his usuall Oathes and Curses being, By Gods wounds [...] God damme me.
1674		Rochester in Works (1999) ‘Tunbridge Wells’ 52: God damn me, Madam, I’me th’ Son of a Whore, / If in my Life I saw the like before!
1684		D’Urfey ‘The New-Market Song’ in Ebsworth Roxburghe Ballads (1885) V:1 144: ‘God-dimme!’ quoth Bully, ‘’tis done.’.
1696		G. Granville She-Gallants II i: Speak to her, Geddemme, No: Was ever any thing so foolish?
1703		Tryal of Thomas Cook, the Prize-player, called the Butcher of Gloucester 2: He swore God damn his Blood that he would have the Blood of some of them before he came out of the Fair.
1713		R. Wodrow Analecta II (1842) 173: He mett with two gentlemen in very good habite, sparks, as they are called, [...] one of them say, ‘God damn you! hoe doe you doe this morning?’ The other sayes, ‘God damn me! I am yours.’.
1723		C. Walker Authentick Memoirs of Sally Salisbury 47: She sprung up [...] with, a G-d D--n you! You a Lord, You a Pimp! says sally, to use me in this manner.
1728		J. Dalton Narrative of Street-Robberies 10: G-d D---n those who first invented Haul Cly, for they ruin us Fro Files.
1735		Proceedings Old Bailey 11 Sept. 144/2: Hooper stepped up to the Prosecutor first, and clapped a Pistol to his Mouth, and swore G – D – your Blood, I will blow your Brains out.
1748		Richardson Clarissa VII 16: G-d d--n ye, Sir!
1756		J. Cox Narrative of Thief-takers, alias Thief-makers 57: G-d D--n you.
1770		Leeds Intelligencer 8 May 4/2: Come on, you rascals, you bloody backs, you lobster scoundrels, fire if you dare, God damn you.
c.1790		‘Peter Pindar’ ‘Odes of Importance’ Works (1794) III 208: Why, what a breeze is here, G-d d-mn my eyes!
1794		Derby Mercury 4 Sept. 4/4: Thomas Spur [...] was found guilty of the following seditious expressions, viz. ‘God damn the King’ [etc.].
1822		‘A. Burton’ My Cousin in the Army 199: But no reply, except a hum From Swallow, and a choak’d G-d-dam. [Ibid.] 285: G-d d--n your eye, who e’er you are.
1839		W.A. Miles Poverty, Mendicity and Crime; Report 108: God d--n his old eyes, but he did it like a gentleman.
1844		Democratic Standard (Georgetown, OH) 25 June 1/4: Go home, God damn you! where you belong!
1853		S. Northup Twelve Years A Slave 109: G-d d--n you!
1865		Dundee Advertiser 28 Mar. 7/1: God damn it, sir, it’s all stuff and nonsense.
1872		Blackburn Standard 15 May 3/4: Two police officers heard him using the oaths ‘God damn’ and ‘God blast’ many times.
1875		Star (Guernsey) 3 Aug. 3/6: His Majesty said, as we were approaching, ‘This is O’Connell; Goddamn the scoundrel!’.
1877		Idaho Semi-Wkly (ID) 23 Nov. 2/2: Chinaman no sabe God; heap sabe God damn.
1879		Dly L.A. Herald 23 Mar. 3/2: He shouted, ‘God damn you, I’m not afraid of any of you’.
1888		Sheffield Eve. Teleg. 23 May 2/3: God bless Ireland and God damn England.
1898		Staunton Spctator & Vindicator (VA) 18 Aug. 2/3: In Virginia it is not customary to God damn white men except jail birds.
1899		Dundee Courier 27 Apr. 5/6: I speak of the Sultan [...] as the great assassin. I say in the name of God, ‘God damn the Sultan’.
1909		Salt Lake Herald (UT) 23 Feb. 3/3: Did you use the expression ‘God damn Senator Cormack?’.
1915		Eve. Teleg. (Dundee) 13 May 2/7: God damn the German pirates [...] an’ God damn the British workin’ man.
1918		Sun (NY) 23 Nov. 58/2: God damn the Germans!
1926		Dover Exp. 12 Nov. 4/5: He said ‘God damn the ship; go to hell!’.
1928		C. McKay Home to Harlem 6: Twenty, God damn them, days across the pond.
1935		D. Lamson We Who Are About to Die 28: All right, God damn you, get up here!
1946		D. Stivens Courtship of Uncle Henry 45: Here’s my curse upon you all, God damn your eyes!
1953		J. Thompson Savage Night (1991) 7: Goddam you.
1963		B. Hecht Gaily, Gaily 100: Goddamn her soul to hell!
1997		C. Hiaasen Lucky You 160: Goddamn you guys.

2. to swear, to curse.

1932		(con. 1910s) J.T. Farrell Young Lonigan in Studs Lonigan (1936) 5: He god-damned himself, because he was getting soft.
1964		S. Woodward Paper Tiger 3: [T]he men of the Amphion were more ugly and nervous than ever as they god-damned their sister ship and scanned the horizon for smoke.