got-damn

[kelber at mindspring.com]

Both euphemistic and regional (in a space and time sense).  Any time and place the Bible rules, such euphemisms are employed.  Back in the 1960's, even in the lefty, atheistic NYC circles I grew up in, the word "damn" was considered a little risque.  As it still is in Bible-thumping circles.

Got-damn is kind of cute, in that you avoid saying "God" while letting the offensive "damn" slide.  A modern equivalent might be "fuckin' a."  American English has lots of these euphemisms -- they definitely have a Western flavor (think Yosemite Sam):
"gol-darned," "drat," "dern," and "dag nab it" come to mind.  I read about some town, somewhere in the Bible Belt, that wanted to pass an ordinance making "Heaven-o" the official greeting.

Laura

-----Original Message-----
>From: Ya Sam <takoitov at hotmail.com>
>Sent: Dec 2, 2006 12:29 PM
>To: pynchon-l at waste.org
>Subject: got-damn
>
>One of the pet expressions of AtD characters. And again I don't remember 
>reading it anywhere else. Is it some kind of euphimistic stuff (not to say 
>'god-damn') or is it a more regional feature?
>
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