A mild oath or exclamation expressing frustration or surprise, meaning the worst or most extreme version of something cursed or annoying.
From 'goldarn,' a euphemistic alteration of 'God damn' that became common in American English in the 19th century, with '-est' added as a superlative suffix. The initial 'gold-' was likely a folk etymology or playful modification to make the oath less offensive.
This is a perfect example of how English speakers soften their language through creative substitution—'goldarn' was a way to say something forbidden without actually saying it, a linguistic trick people still use today with words like 'frick' or 'shoot.'
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