dratted
Definition
- Adjective:
- Used to express annoyance or irritation: "dratted" is an informal, mild expletive used to describe something that is considered troublesome, annoying, or cursed. It is often used as a euphemism for "damned" or "darned."
Usage Examples
- (Expressing frustration over lost keys.)
- (Annoyance at the cat’s behavior.)
- (Irritation at a recurring mechanical problem.)
Advanced Usage
"dratted thing": a common phrase used to refer to an inanimate object that is causing trouble.
- This dratted thing won’t open! (Referring to a stuck jar lid or door.)
"dratted luck": used to express exasperation with one’s fortune.
- Oh, dratted luck! It started raining just as we left. (Annoyance at bad timing.)
Variants and Related Words
- Dratted is the past participle form of the verb drats (an old-fashioned, rare verb meaning "to curse" or "to damn"), but it is almost exclusively used as an adjective in modern English.
- Drat (interjection): an exclamation of mild annoyance.
- Drat! I forgot my umbrella. (An expression of irritation.)
Synonyms
- Damned: a stronger, more formal curse word.
- That damned alarm clock didn’t go off. (Similar meaning, but more emphatic.)
- Darned: a euphemism for "damned," similar in tone to "dratted."
- The darned phone won’t charge. (Equivalent level of mild annoyance.)
- Cursed: implying something is afflicted by a curse.
- This cursed computer crashes every hour. (Slightly more dramatic.)
Related Idioms
- "Dratted nuisance": a British informal phrase for something extremely annoying.
- This paperwork is a dratted nuisance. (A bothersome task.)
- "Dratted thing" (see Advanced Usage).
Phrasal Verbs
- None. "Dratted" is not used as part of a phrasal verb; it functions solely as an adjective or interjection.