Etymology Journal ยท W
Well, I'll be dipped!
Meaning
- A very mild, folksy way to express surprise. It sounds like something a grandparent would say when they see a particularly clever gadget.
Whimsical, mild
Used in a sentence
- Well, I'll be dipped, this toaster has a setting for bagels.
- Well, I'll be dipped, the cat learned how to open the door.
- Well, I'll be dipped, you are wearing my favorite shirt.
The backstory
A sanitized euphemism for 'I'll be damned'. It is part of a long tradition of adding nonsensical verbs to 'I'll be' to keep things polite.
Heard in
Midwest / The South
Vibe check