Sooooo stupid and Off topic…. But it occurred to me their might be Audie’sa or Kiwis that read this forum…

[Bombastinator2]

So: Aussies or Kiwis there’s this antique sort of “non-curse” exclamation in the U.S. :”Dagnab it!” I remember hearing what a dag is once, and I’m wondering if they know where it came from because I don’t. (Yes, this may be sheep related, and just because your countries have a lot of them doesn’t mean it’s everyone’s life. Apologies. No offense meant)

 

[coulomb]

I remember hearing what a dag is once,

My wife, whose Australian ancestry goes back way further than mine, says that a dag is the back end of a sheep. The part of the wool that you can't use because it's stained and smelly.

But I suspect that the phrase is mostly a corruption of "God damn it" so that it offends others less (my apologies to those I've just offended).

See for example https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/what-does-dagnabbit-mean

 

[Bombastinator2]

So coincidental. I knew about the dag bit. It’s also a term used for a smartass. “A bitofadag”. People for whom smartass is a lifestyle may reply “I’m not just a bit, I’m the whole sheep’s bum”. I remember the word as specifically the gigantic poop nodule on the back (sheep can’t wipe and they’re really really furry. It’s apparently way way bigger than on other farm animals). It could be the whole butt though. Or the hair in the poop nodule. My info was hastily acquired long ago, and thus not very good.

 

[Dooglas]

But I suspect that the phrase is mostly a corruption of "God damn it" so that it offends others less..

This gets my vote.

 

[laele]

My wife, whose Australian ancestry goes back way further than mine, says that a dag is the back end of a sheep. The part of the wool that you can't use because it's stained and smelly.

But I suspect that the phrase is mostly a corruption of "God damn it" so that it offends others less (my apologies to those I've just offended).

See for example https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/what-does-dagnabbit-mean

reminds me of that short story, The Nine Billion Names of God -----

 

[Bombastinator2]

reminds me of that short story, The Nine Billion Names of God -----

I thought that was a novel. One of those old so-fi paperbacks. May have been a collection of short stories though

 

[laele]

I thought that was a novel. One of those old so-fi paperbacks. May have been a collection of short stories though

short story by Arthur C Clarke, 1954, reprinted in several anthologies, in 2004 was accorded a Hugo, retrospectively; easy to check out on Google .. didn't know until now that someone also made a film of it

 

[Bombastinator2]

short story by Arthur C Clarke, 1954, reprinted in several anthologies, in 2004 was accorded a Hugo, retrospectively; easy to check out on Google .. didn't know until now that someone also made a film of it

If it’s old,good,sci-if, and a short story someone usually has. There are i-don’t-know-how-many Philip k dick movies. Even H. Beam Piper’s fuzzy stuff, which were novels but short ones, have been attempted several times. Apparently there is one that is finally going to come out. I’ll believe it when it happens.