Green’s Dictionary of Slang

damme! excl.

a euph. for damn! excl.

1606		Wily Beguiled 9: But damme me if they find it so.
1608		R. Armin Nest of Ninnies 32: Aloud hee cryes, Dmee! dmee! dmee!
1630		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.
1632		R. Brome Covent-Garden Weeded IV i: nick.: But Dammy — gab.: O fearfully profane! [in cynical use].
1654		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.
1665		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.
1671		‘L.B.’ New Academy of Complements 257: Then I cry, Dam me, you lie.
1675		Head Art of Wheedling 204: He [...] cries, Damme, Madam, were you but sensible of the Passion I have for you.
1681		Otway Soldier’s Fortune II i: Damme, madam, who’s that?
1697		Female Wits I i: Damme, I dare fight!
1707		Cibber Double Gallant V i: Blood! Sir – don’t think, Sir, – Dammy Sir, I shall expect Satisfaction.
1730		Hist. of Col. Francis Charteris 31: This, D—me, came by doing as you bid me.
1741		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.
1753		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.
1756		Memoirs of an Oxford Scholar 54: Damme, Sir, what is it to you?
1759		O. Goldsmith ‘A Description of Various Clubs’ in Coll. Works (1966) III 13: Dammee if I don’t.
1760		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.
1772		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.
1785		M. Lonsdale Spanish Rivals Prologue: See what comes next—and, damme! see it out.
1794		‘Peter Pindar’ ‘Exposulatory Odes’ Works (1794) II 330: By G-- I’ll speak, and d-mme I’ll be heard.
1801		M. Edgeworth Belinda (1994) 91: I’m too hot, damme, to walk with you any more.
1812		Egan Boxiana I 26: Dam’me, I am not beat, but what signifies when I cannot see my man.
1816		W.T. Moncrieff All at Coventry II i: Damme, I can’t edge in a word any how.
1822		Life and Trial of James Mackcoull 85: We shan’t sell them Huffey, d-mme, we’ll go to the country.
1824		‘Geoffrey Crayon’ Tales of A Traveller (1850) 148: Damme, I like you!
1826		‘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.
1832		J.K. Paulding Westward Ho! I 38: Damme if he isn’t the finest creature in Virginia.
1838		Dickens Oliver Twist (1966) 357: No, damme! you wouldn’t do that!
1839		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!
1840		R.B. Peake Devil In London III ii: Oh, damme, damme, damme! Here’s fine words, and no parsnips to butter.
1848		Thackeray Vanity Fair I 301: ‘Dammy,’ George said to a confidential friend.
1850		N. Wales Gaz. 21 Dec. 8/5: Dammy, I like the lodgings.
1862		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.
1874		M. Clarke Term of His Natural Life (1897) 59: Why, damme, you won’t let a fellow spare!
1894		Truth (Sydney) 3 June 1/6: Damme, that woman deserves to have a vote.
1895		W. Pett Ridge Minor Dialogues 19: Why, damme, sir, the electric light. The electric light in church!
1902		A. Morrison Hole in the Wall (1947) 148: Damme, I don’t want to stay – not me.
1906		Sun. Times (Perth) 24 June 4/8: ‘Tell us how you helped arrest Deeming.’ ‘Dammee if I do’.
1911		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’?
1912		A. Berkman Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist (1926) 190: Damme if it ain’t his third one.
1924		‘Sapper’ Third Round 733: Damme, sir [...] I was at his funeral a week ago.
1938		N. Lindsay Age Of Consent 219: Damme, she’s dead.
1957		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.

1632		R. Brome Covent-Garden Weeded IV i: Great Damboys shrink, and give a little ground.
1640		‘On a Little Diminutive Band’ in Wardroper (1969) 139: What is the reason of God-dam-me’s band / Inch-deep?
1641		[bk title] A Dialogue betweene two Hot-spurres of the Times, Serjeant Slice-man, alias Smell-smockof Coney-Court in Chick-lane, and Corporall Dam-meeof Bell-alley neere Pick-hatch.
1646		H. Mill The nights search pt 2 4: Till dammie boyes came by him; then he rose, / To breake the windowes, and he cut a nose.
a.1658		J. Cleveland Works Depriver of those solid joys, Which sack creates; author of noise / Among the roaring punks and dammy-boys.
1659		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.
1665		Head Eng. Rogue I 134: I had not been long in her house, before a roaring Damme entered the house.
1672		J. Phillips Maronides (1678) V 5: A knot ot Hectring Dammie fellows / Instead of Rapiers using Bellows.
1677		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.
1695		Congreve Love for Love Epilogue: These walls but t’other day were filled with noise / Of roaring gamesters, and your damme boys.
c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew n.p.: Damme boy a roaring mad, blustering fellow, a Scourer of the Streets.
1785, 1788, 1796		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.
1801		Sporting Mag. June XVIII 166/2: Damme-bloods, jackanapes, she-smugglers, and imps.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1822		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.