I'll be blowed
Language: English
Part of speech: intj
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˌaɪl biː ˈbləʊd/
ipa: /ˌaɪl bi ˈbloʊd/
rhymes: -əʊd
Forms: form: I'll be blown
Etymology: Probably a hyperbole expressing that the speaker is so surprised it is as if they have been blown over by a gust of wind: compare blow me down and blow me over, and also knock someone over with a feather, which have the same sense. Used as a euphemism for I'll be damned; compare also blasted.
Senses: examples: text: Well, I’ll be blowed if it isn’t my old school friend, John!
text: ‘[…] Luke at that there homnibus; why, darn me—’ and now, in his eloquence at this peculiar point, my friend became more loud and powerful than ever—‘why, darn me, if maister harns enough with that there buss to put hiron on them osses feet, I’ll—be—blowed!’
ref: 1858, Anthony Trollope, chapter XV, in Doctor Thorne. […], volume II, London: Chapman & Hall, […], →OCLC, page 5:
text: The sound of his voice quickened the other’s memory, his face expanded to its fullest capacity, and he also broke into a laugh. “Why, Newman—I’ll be blowed! Where in the world—I declare—who would have thought? You know you have changed.”
ref: 1876 June, Henry James, Jr., chapter II, in The American, Boston, Mass.: James R[ipley] Osgood and Company, […], published 5 May 1877, →OCLC, page 20:
text: “I’ll be blowed if it isn’t the kid,” ejaculated Wheeler.
ref: 1893, Horatio Alger Jr., chapter XXX, in Cast Upon the Breakers:
synonyms: word: blow me
word: blow me down
word: blow me over
word: blow me pink
word: blow me tight
word: crikey
word: gosh
word: I'm blowed
word: adzooks
word: ay
word: caramba
word: chihuahua
word: begorra
word: bleeding heck
word: bleeding Nora
word: bless my heart
word: bless my soul
word: bless us
word: blige
word: blimey
word: bloody hell
word: bloody Nora
word: blow me
word: blow me backwards
word: blow me down
word: blow me over
word: blow me pink
word: blow me tight
word: blow me up
word: blow my buttons
word: butter my butt and call me a biscuit
word: by all that is holy
word: by Allah
word: by cracky
word: by George
word: by God
word: by golly
word: by gum
word: by gummy
word: by jingo
word: by Jove
word: by juckies
word: by Jupiter
word: by thunder
word: by the living jingo
word: byrlady
word: Christ
word: Christ alive
word: Christ almighty
word: Christ on a bike
word: Christ on a cracker
word: Christ on a raft
word: cor
word: cor blimey
word: cor lummy
word: cowabunga
word: crikey
word: criminy
word: cripes
word: crivvens
word: chuffing hell
word: dear God
word: dear me
word: dearie me
word: deary me
word: dear Lord
word: diggety
word: eep
word: egad
word: egads
word: ermahgerd
word: fancy that
word: flaming Nora
word: flipping heck
word: flipping Nora
word: fuark
word: fuck me
word: fucking hell
word: fucking Nora
word: gad so
word: Gadsbodikins
word: gadsbud
word: gadzooks
word: gaw
word: gee
word: gee whiz
word: gee willikers
word: geeminy
word: geez
word: geez Louise
word: geshmak
word: get out of town
word: glory be
word: God Almighty
word: God in heaven
word: God's teeth
word: good golly
word: golly
word: golly gee willikers
word: golly gosh
word: good God
word: good gracious
word: good gravy
word: good grief
word: good heavens
word: good Lord
word: goodness
word: goodness gracious
word: goodness gracious me
word: goodness me
word: googly-moogly
word: gorblimey
word: Gordon Bennett
word: gosh
word: gosh all hemlock
word: gracious
word: gramercy
word: great balls of fire
word: great Caesar
word: great Caesar's ghost
word: great googly moogly
word: great Scott
word: gyatt
word: hallo
word: hello
word: heavens
word: heavens above
word: heavens to Betsy
word: heavens to Murgatroyd
word: hell's bells
word: hey
word: heyday
word: hold up
word: holy buckets
word: holy cannoli
word: holy cow
word: holy crap
word: holy crap on a cracker
word: holy cricket
word: holy crickets
word: holy crud
word: holy dignity
word: holy doodle
word: holy fuck
word: holy fuck knuckles
word: holy guacamole
word: holy Hannah
word: holy hell
word: holy kamoley
word: holy kamoly
word: holy macaroni
word: holy mackerel
word: holy magnum
word: holy moley
word: holy moly
word: holy man
word: holy Moses
word: Holy Mother
word: Holy Mother of God
word: holy ravioli
word: holy shit
word: holy stromboli
word: holy smoke
word: holy Toledo
word: hooly dooly
word: hot damn
word: I'll be
word: I'll be a dirty bird!
word: I'll be a monkey's uncle
word: I'll be a son of a bitch
word: I'll be a son of a gun
word: I'll be blowed
word: I'll be bound
word: I'll be buggered
word: I'll be damned
word: I'll be danged
word: I'll be darned
word: I'll be dashed
word: I'll be dipped
word: I'll be dipped in shit
word: I'll be hanged
word: I'll be hornswoggled
word: I'll be jiggered
word: I'll be shot
word: imagine that
word: I'm blowed
word: I say
word: Janey Mack
word: Jaysus
word: Jeebus
word: jeepers
word: jeepers creepers
word: jeez
word: jeez Louise
word: jeezy peeps
word: Jerusalem crickets
word: Jesum Crow
word: Jesus
word: Jesus Christ
word: Jesus fucking Christ
word: Jesus H. Christ
word: Mary and Joseph
word: Jesus Murphy
word: Jiminy Cricket
word: jings
word: jinkies
word: Judas Priest
word: jumping Jehoshaphat
word: jumping Jesus
word: knock me down with a feather
word: knock me over with a feather
word: land sakes
word: lauks
word: lawks
word: lawks a-mercy
word: lawl
word: leapin' lizards
word: Lord
word: Lord be praised
word: Lord love a duck
word: lordy
word: mama mia
word: mamma mia
word: man alive
word: mercy sakes
word: Mother of God
word: my
word: my conscience
word: my giddy aunt
word: my heavens
word: my sainted aunt
word: my sainted uncle
word: my God
word: my goodness
word: my gosh
word: my Lord
word: my my
word: my word
word: no way
word: O gemini
word: ods bodikin
word: odsfish
word: odzookens
word: oh
word: oh em gee
word: ohmigod
word: oh my
word: oh my days
word: oh my God
word: oh my Goddess
word: oh my goodness
word: oh my goodness gracious
word: oh my gosh
word: oh my hell
word: oh my heck
word: oh my fuck
word: oh my life
word: oh my Lord
word: oh my stars
word: oh my word
word: oi
word: OMG
word: omigod
word: omigosh
word: peas and rice
word: please
word: praise the Lord
word: rah
word: ruddy hell
word: ruddy Nora
word: sacré bleu
word: sakes alive
word: 'sblood
word: 'sdeath
word: shart
word: 'sheart
word: sheesh
word: shit fire and save matches
word: shitting Nora
word: shiver my timbers
word: shut my mouth
word: shut the front door
word: slap my ass and call me Judy
word: slap my ass and call me Sally
word: snakes alive
word: sodding hell
word: son of a gun
word: stone me
word: stone the crows
word: strewth
word: strike me pink
word: 'struth
word: suffering Sappho
word: suffering succotash
word: sweet Grandma on stilts
word: sweet Jesus
word: sweet Mary
word: sweet mother of God
word: sweet mother of Jesus
word: waow
word: well
word: I never
word: what
word: what do you know
word: whoa
word: whoah
word: wow
word: wowee
word: wowzers
word: ye gods
word: yikes
word: yikes bikes
word: you don't say
word: yowzah
word: zoiks
word: zoinks
word: ZOMG
word: ZOMFG
word: zooterkins
word: zound
word: zounds
word: zowie
glosses: Used to express amazement and surprise.
wikipedia: Michael Quinion