Idioms for damn
Origin of damn
1250–1300; Middle English
dam(p)nen < Old French
dam(p)ner < Latin
damnāre to condemn, derivative of
damnum damage, fine, harm
OTHER WORDS FROM damn
damn·er, noun pre·damn, verb (used with object)Words nearby damn
British Dictionary definitions for damn with faint praise
Word Origin for damn
C13: from Old French
dampner, from Latin
damnāre to injure, condemn, from
damnum loss, injury, penalty
Cultural definitions for damn with faint praise
damn with faint praise
To criticize someone or something indirectly by giving a slight compliment: “When the critic remarked that Miller's book was ‘not as bad as some I've read,’ she was obviously damning it with faint praise.”
Idioms and Phrases with damn with faint praise (1 of 2)
damn with faint praise
Compliment so feebly that it amounts to no compliment at all, or even implies condemnation. For example, The reviewer damned the singer with faint praise, admiring her dress but not mentioning her voice. This idea was already expressed in Roman times by Favorinus (c. a.d. 110) but the actual expression comes from Alexander Pope's Epistle to Doctor Arbuthnot (1733): “Damn with faint praise, assent with civil leer, and, without sneering, teach the rest to sneer.”
Idioms and Phrases with damn with faint praise (2 of 2)
damn