downright » darn right

Classification: English – /r/-dropping

Spotted in the wild:

  • “Carrying a backpack with a sunburned back or shoulders will be darn right painful.” (link)
  • About Vicks VapoRub: “Ahh! Icy cool. Just like a Peppermint Patty. Is this soothing or darn right uncomfortable?” (link)
  • “Adventure is the key to a full, rich life. When broadly defined, it can be incorporated in every nook and cranny of a person’s being. Adventure is electrifying, energizing and, well… darn right scary at times.” (link)
  • “The skiing, even during good snow conditions, is challenging. During bad snow conditions it can be darn right dangerous.” (link)

Analyzed or reported by:

  • James Callan (American Dialect Society mailing list, 17 June 2005)

Citations provided by Callan in his ADS-L posting. Many thousands of Google hits, though some are for “darn right” as a euphemized “damn right”, a usage that undoubtedly contributed to “downright” >> “darn right”.

| link | entered by Arnold Zwicky, 2005/06/18 |

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