Green’s Dictionary of Slang

damme! excl.

also dammee! dammy! demmy! dmee!

a euph. for damn! excl.

[UK]Wily Beguiled 9: But damme me if they find it so.
[UK]R. Armin Nest of Ninnies 32: Aloud hee cryes, Dmee! dmee! dmee!
[UK]J. Howell Familiar Letters (1737) I 3 Dec. 226: My Lord Powis [...] said, Dammy if ever he come to be King of England, I will turn Rebel.
[UK]R. Brome Covent-Garden Weeded IV i: nick.: But Dammy — gab.: O fearfully profane! [in cynical use].
[UK]Proceedings before his Highness Councel concerning the Petitioners of the Isle of Ely against George Clapthorne Esqyure 26 Aug. 7: He hath known him to be a common swearer, his ordinary Oathes being, God damme me, Gods blood.
[Ire]Head Eng. Rogue I 364: A fellow came where we were, swearing dam-me, why do you stay with this fellow, and leave me thus.
[UK]‘L.B.’ New Academy of Complements 257: Then I cry, Dam me, you lie.
[Ire]Head Art of Wheedling 204: He [...] cries, Damme, Madam, were you but sensible of the Passion I have for you.
[UK]Otway Soldier’s Fortune II i: Damme, madam, who’s that?
[UK]Female Wits I i: Damme, I dare fight!
[UK]Cibber Double Gallant V i: Blood! Sir – don’t think, Sir, – Dammy Sir, I shall expect Satisfaction.
[UK]Hist. of Col. Francis Charteris 31: This, D—me, came by doing as you bid me.
[UK]Garrick Lying Valet II i: Hearing a noise in the street of, ‘Damme, Sir,’ and clashing of swords [...] I runs up to the place, and saw four men upon one.
[Scot]Scots Mag. 1 Oct. 19/2: I had before made some progress in learning to swear: I had proceeded by Fegs, [...] ’pon my life, Rat it, and Zookers [...] to Demme.
[UK]Memoirs of an Oxford Scholar 54: Damme, Sir, what is it to you?
[UK]O. Goldsmith ‘A Description of Various Clubs’ in Coll. Works (1966) III 13: Dammee if I don’t.
[UK]O. Goldsmith ‘Serious reflections on the life and death of the late Mr. TC ’ in Coll. Works (1966) III 47: You Mr. Lutestring, send me home six yards of that paduasoy, dammee; but harkee, don’t think I ever intend to pay you for it, dammee.
[UK]G. Stevens ‘The Damn’d Honest Fellow’ in Songs Comic and Satyrical 127: If he won’t do for me when I send in my name, / Why, damme then, I’ll do for him.
[Ire]M. Lonsdale Spanish Rivals Prologue: See what comes next—and, damme! see it out.
[UK]‘Peter Pindar’ ‘Exposulatory Odes’ Works (1794) II 330: By G-- I’ll speak, and d-mme I’ll be heard.
[UK]M. Edgeworth Belinda (1994) 91: I’m too hot, damme, to walk with you any more.
[UK]Egan Boxiana I 26: Dam’me, I am not beat, but what signifies when I cannot see my man.
[UK]W.T. Moncrieff All at Coventry II i: Damme, I can’t edge in a word any how.
[Scot]Life and Trial of James Mackcoull 85: We shan’t sell them Huffey, d-mme, we’ll go to the country.
[US]‘Geoffrey Crayon’ Tales of A Traveller (1850) 148: Damme, I like you!
[UK]‘Nocturnal Sports’ in Universal Songster II 179/2: Vhat are you hup to with that there vench. [...] I sees vhat you’re arter, but that cut vo’n’t do, demme.
[US]J.K. Paulding Westward Ho! I 38: Damme if he isn’t the finest creature in Virginia.
[UK]Dickens Oliver Twist (1966) 357: No, damme! you wouldn’t do that!
[UK]Bell’s Life in London 10 Feb. 2/1: I saw, my raw one, we’ll stand sammy — / For with doorknockers to make free, / Is very pretty pastime dammee!
[UK]R.B. Peake Devil In London III ii: Oh, damme, damme, damme! Here’s fine words, and no parsnips to butter.
[UK]Thackeray Vanity Fair I 301: ‘Dammy,’ George said to a confidential friend.
[UK]N. Wales Gaz. 21 Dec. 8/5: Dammy, I like the lodgings.
[UK]J.A. Hardwick ‘The Mountebank’ in Prince of Wales’ Own Song Book 47: Here’s the wondrous talking fish [...] Says plain ‘Mammy,’ calls out ‘damme’ / And can preach like Mr. Spurgeon.
[Aus]M. Clarke Term of His Natural Life (1897) 59: Why, damme, you won’t let a fellow spare!
[Aus]Truth (Sydney) 3 June 1/6: Damme, that woman deserves to have a vote.
[UK]W. Pett Ridge Minor Dialogues 19: Why, damme, sir, the electric light. The electric light in church!
[UK]A. Morrison Hole in the Wall (1947) 148: Damme, I don’t want to stay – not me.
[Aus]Sun. Times (Perth) 24 June 4/8: ‘Tell us how you helped arrest Deeming.’ ‘Dammee if I do’.
[Aus]E. Dyson ‘Nicholas Don and the Meek Almira’ in Benno and Some of the Push 17: ‘What’s ah fellah to do, bai Jove, when the old gentleman says, ‘Go there, sir, and stay there, demmy, till you’re sent for’?
[US]A. Berkman Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist (1926) 190: Damme if it ain’t his third one.
[UK]‘Sapper’ Third Round 733: Damme, sir [...] I was at his funeral a week ago.
[Aus]N. Lindsay Age Of Consent 219: Damme, she’s dead.
[UK]G. Kersh Fowlers End (2001) 175: Well, damme, if it isn’t little Danny!

In compounds

damme-boy (n.) (also damboy, damme, damme-blood, dammee captain, damme-fellow, dammy (boy), God-dam-me)

a blustering, profane, aggressive thug.

[UK]R. Brome Covent-Garden Weeded IV i: Great Damboys shrink, and give a little ground.
[UK] ‘On a Little Diminutive Band’ in Wardroper (1969) 139: What is the reason of God-dam-me’s band / Inch-deep?
J. Cleveland Works Depriver of those solid joys, Which sack creates; author of noise / Among the roaring punks and dammy-boys.
[UK]Catterpillers of this Nation Anatomized 37: This Dammee Captain by his Wit, Sword, and Baskethilt-Oathes; the two Iast he makes use of to frighten Rum-Cullies out of their cash.
[Ire]Head Eng. Rogue I 134: I had not been long in her house, before a roaring Damme entered the house.
[UK]J. Phillips Maronides (1678) V 5: A knot ot Hectring Dammie fellows / Instead of Rapiers using Bellows.
[UK]Behn Rover V i: See how this—Huff becomes—this Dammy—flare— / Which they at home may act, because they dare, / But—must with prudent Caution do elsewhere.
[UK]Congreve Love for Love Epilogue: These walls but t’other day were filled with noise / Of roaring gamesters, and your damme boys.
[UK]B.E. Dict. Canting Crew n.p.: Damme boy a roaring mad, blustering fellow, a Scourer of the Streets.
[UK]Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue n.p.: Damme boy, a roaring, mad blustering fellow, a scourer of the streets, or kicker up of a breeze.
[UK]Sporting Mag. June XVIII 166/2: Damme-bloods, jackanapes, she-smugglers, and imps.
[UK]Lex. Balatronicum.
[UK]R. Nares Gloss. (1888) I 223: The practice of profane swearing was carried to such an excess among the rakes of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, that dammy, or dammy-boy came into use as an ordinary term for a riotious person.