tarnation

noun

Pronunciation: /tɑɹˈneɪʃən/

Etymology: From darnation, influenced by tarnal (from eternal); see darn.

Bothersome; devilish.
“Now you go 'long back to the house, Marm Winthrop, and if riding 'longside of a popish priest don't speerit me into the bottomless pit, I'll be blamed if I don't go some day into his church and find out what all that tarnation lingo means.”
“It started over nothing, and would have come to nothing but for that tarnation liquor.”
Generic intensifier.
“Some time in the month o' August, I think it wur, I found myself in London wi'out a tarnation cent.”
“My love the strongest, a tarnation sight.”

Etymology: From darnation, influenced by tarnal (from eternal); see darn.

Very; extremely.
“He was so tarnation black you couldn't see him except in the middle of the day.”
“Since Britannia ruled the waves, I guess it's a tarnation queer thing that she didn't rule 'em straighter.”

Etymology: From darnation, influenced by tarnal (from eternal); see darn.

Used to express anger, irritation, disappointment, annoyance, contempt, etc.
“"Tarnation! You all right?" "Hell, no, I ain't all right!"”
““They contain the precise description of the place where the nuggets are hidden.” “Tarnation! Is that true?"”

Etymology: From darnation, influenced by tarnal (from eternal); see darn.

The act or process of damnation or reprobation; hell.
“What in tarnation is going on?”
“I am Offul maazed. Wheer in tarnations es that theer plaguy girl?”
Someone or something that causes trouble; troublemaker.
“I would say more, but RADLEY's come up to tell me I must go and meet that tarnation BANCROFT.”
“I felt sort of odd all over, and I hadn't the least notion what could ail me; it warn't a very tedious feeling, though, but it seemed as if I was a dreaming yit, and all about that tarnation little Miss Miles.”