The phrase “I don’t care a damn” or “I don’t give a damn” is often used when someone means to say they don’t care at all. Ever wondered how this phrase came into use?
According to a popular version, the word “damn” in the expression has roots in the dam or damri, a small copper coin of low value. Sher Shah Suri, a 16th-century ruler in India, introduced the dam along with higher-value coins such as the mohur (gold) and rupiya (silver). The dam was a copper coin worth one-fortieth of a rupee, and it held very little value.
British officers and soldiers are said to have used this term to signify worthlessness, saying they wouldn’t give even a “dam” for something trivial. Over time, this expression evolved in British English and American slang to imply indifference or dismissal, essentially meaning “I don’t care at all.”
The phrase gained prominence after Rhett Butler’s famous line in the movie Gone with the Wind: “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.” This line cemented the expression as a definitive statement of indifference in popular culture.
So, the next time you say, “I don’t give a damn,” remember that you’re tapping into a phrase with roots in a forgotten coin. There are countless everyday expressions with hidden stories waiting to be uncovered.
Do you know any other words and phrases might hold secrets from the past?
