daresn't

English

Etymology

From dares +‎ -n't.

Contraction

daresn't

1. Contraction of dares not.
   • 1798, chapter V, in The Heir of Montague. […], volume II, London: […] Minerva-Press, for William Lane, […], page 220:

     My miſtreſs begged hard for me, but ſhe daresn’t contradict that man; and ſo after many kind words, which was very good of her, ſhe ſaid I muſt leave her, but particularly ſhe ſaid for no fault, only becauſe of what her brother deſired.

   • 1798, [James Plumptre], “Act III. Scene I.”, in The Lakers: A Comic Opera, in Three Acts, London: […] W[illiam] Clarke, […], page 46:

     I believe he daresn’t fight, though he talks ſo big.

   • 1830, J[acob] Beuler, “Since I’ve Been in the Army”, in Comic Songs, to Popular Tunes. […] Sixth Collection, […], London: […] J. Beuler, […] and sold by T. Williams, […], page 24:

     There’s Murphy Roake, who often broke / My head, now daresn’t dare me, / But bows and quakes, and off he sneaks, / Since I’ve been in the army.

   • 1851 November 14, Herman Melville, “Stubb and Flask Kill a Right Whale; and Then Have a Talk over Him”, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC, pages 364–365:

     Damn the devil, Flask; do you suppose I’m afraid of the devil? Who’s afraid of him, except the old governor who daresn’t catch him and put him in double-darbies, as he deserves, but let’s him go about kidnapping people; aye, and signed a bond with him, that all the people the devil kidnapped, he’d roast for him? There’s a governor!

   • 1995 September, Orson Scott Card, Alvin Journeyman (The Tales of Alvin Maker; IV), New York, N.Y.: Tor Books, →ISBN, page 159:

     But he lives around here doing tinkering and odd fixing, and Vilate Franker says he must have done some terrible crime to have to hide from the sea, or maybe there was some great sea beast that swallowed up his ship and left only him alive and now he daresn’t go back to sea for fear the beast—she calls it La Vaya Than, which Goody Trader says is Spanish for ‘Ain’t this a damn lie,’ do you know Goody Trader?

Related terms

• daredn't
• daren't
• durstn't