as be damned

prepositional phrase

As possible; to the greatest extent.

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Meanings

prepositional phrase
  1. As possible; to the greatest extent.

    "I'm sixty and as fit as be damned, Sir!"

    2945 July 29, The Truth, Sydney, page 24, column 2
    3 more examples

    I sud ha' been here as early as Maistress McCorkindale, but my devils o' boatmen are as stupid as mules, and as lazy as be damned.

    1833, Thomas Dibdin, Lily of St. Leonards, London: John Dicks, page 3, column 2

    “But they were as fit as be-damned when I left them!” said Bobby. “Then you'd better make them as fit as be-damned when you rejoin,” said the Major, brutally.

    1889, Rudyard Kipling, “Only A Subaltern”, in Under the Deodars, Boston: The Greenock Press, published 1899, page 145

    He did very little shoutin', and was as calm as be-damned, but you could see he was boilin' up inside with excitement.

    1918 May 2, The Telegraph, Brisbane, page 6, column 6
Cite this entry
APA

as be damned. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/as%20be%20damned

MLA

“as be damned.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/as%20be%20damned. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “as be damned,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/as%20be%20damned.

Source: as be damned on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.