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

SYNONYMS FOR damn

OTHER WORDS FROM damn

damn·er, noun pre·damn, verb (used with object)

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