as near as damn it Definition

damn
verb damned, damning

1. relig.
To sentence someone to never-ending punishment in hell.
2. To declare someone or something to be useless or worthless.

Thesaurus: criticize, denounce, censure, castigate; Antonym: praise.
3. To suggest or prove the guiltiness of someone.

exclamation

1. Expressing annoyance or disappointment.

Form: damn it (often)

adj

1. colloq
Used for emphasis: annoying; hateful.
Example: the damn cold

adverb

1. colloq
Used for emphasis.
Example: It's damn cold

Derivative: damning

Very critical.

Proving or suggesting guilt.
Thesaurus: incriminating, accusatorial, condemnatory, inculpatory, implicative, dooming, ruinous, serious, fatal.

Idiom: as near as damn it

See under near.

Idiom: be damned if one will do something

colloq
To refuse to do it.

Idiom: damn all

colloq
Nothing at all.

Idiom: damn someone or something with faint praise

To praise them or it so unenthusiastically as to seem disapproving.

Idiom: not give a damn

colloq
Not to care at all.
Thesaurus: not care, be indifferent.

Etymology: 13c: from Latin damnare to condemn.

---

near
prep nearer, nearest

1. At a short distance from something.

Example: lives near the town centre
Thesaurus: beside, alongside, next to, close to, a stone's throwaway from, by, toward.
2. Close to something (in amount, etc).

Example: nearer 600 than 500
Example: near tears

adverb nearer, nearest

1. Close.

Example: came near to hitting her
Form: near to (also)
2. old use or colloq
Almost; nearly.
Example: She damn near died

adj nearer, nearest

1. Being a short distance away; close.

Thesaurus: adjacent, nigh, adjoining, attached, contiguous, proximal, neighbouring, proximate, bordering, at close quarters, nearby; approaching, at hand, imminent, expected, coming, forthcoming, near-at-hand, close, looming, impending, in the offing; Antonym: remote, distant, far.
2. Closer of two.

Example: the near bank of the river
3. Similar; comparable.

Example: that knife is the nearest thing I've got to a screwdriver
4. Closely related to one.

Example: a near relative
Thesaurus: akin, dear, familiar, intimate, related.
5. Almost amounting to, or almost turning into the specified thing.

Example: a near tragedy
Example: near-disastrous results
6. old use
Mean; miserly.

verb

tr & intr
neared, nearing
1. To approach.

Derivative: nearly

See separate entry.

Derivative: nearness
noun

The fact or state of being near
Thesaurus: contiguity, closeness, proximity, adjacency, vicinity, propinquity, availability, immediacy, imminence, juxtaposition, handiness, close quarters, vicinage, approximation; Antonym: distance, remoteness, difference.

Idiom: near as dammit (as near as damn it)

colloq
Very nearly.

Idiom: near at hand

Conveniently close.

Idiom: not to go near someone or something

To avoid them.

Etymology: Anglo-Saxon, from neah nigh, and from (adverb) Norse nær nigher, from na nigh.