I’ll Be John Browned

The phrase I’ll be a John Brown or I’ll be John Browned means “I’ll be damned” or “I’ll be hanged.” It’s a reference to the militant abolitionist John Brown, who in 1859 led 21 men on a raid of the federal arsenal at what is now Harpers Ferry, Virginia, in order to seize weapons and encourage an armed rebellion. This is part of a complete episode.

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