bad cess

Etymology
. Occurs in print at least as early as 1831, when Samuel Lover used the expression as one already long-established. He unambiguously stated the derivation of cess in the malediction bad cess to be an abbreviation of success. OED speculated that it either was from success or from assessment meaning a military or governmental exaction.

Noun

 * 1)  Bad luck, failure, or evil befalling.

Usage notes
Commonly used in the form bad cess to &mdash; , typically as:
 * an oath: "Bad cess to me", equivalent to "I'll be damned if...", or
 * a malediction:"Bad cess to the villains", equivalent to "damn them", or
 * contemptuous dismissal or denial: "... bad cess to the dhrop", as in "forget the drop, there will not be one!".