hell
Pronunciation: /hɛl/
noun
- (often Hell) a place regarded in various religions as a spiritual realm of evil and suffering, often traditionally depicted as a place of perpetual fire beneath the earth where the wicked are punished after death: irreligious children were assumed to have passed straight to the eternal fires of hell
- a situation, experience, or place of great suffering: I’ve been through hell he made her life hell
exclamation
(also the hell)
Phrases
-
all hell breaks (or is let) loose
- informal suddenly there is pandemonium: the police arrived one night and all hell broke loose
-
(as) —— as hell
- informal used for emphasis: he’s as guilty as hell
-
be hell on
- informal be very unpleasant or harmful to: the fungus is hell on grasshoppers
-
come hell or high water
- whatever difficulties may occur: come hell or high water, cooking three meals a day is a mighty task
-
for the hell of it
- informal just for fun: she walked on window ledges for the hell of it
-
—— from hell
- informal an extremely unpleasant or troublesome example of something: neighbours from hell
-
get hell
- informal be severely reprimanded: she got hell on the way home
-
give someone hell
- informal severely reprimand or make things very unpleasant for someone: I gave him hell
-
go to hell
- informal used to express angry rejection of someone or something: you can go to hell
-
go to (or through) hell and back
- endure an extremely unpleasant or difficult experience: he’s been to hell and back since he was publicly blamed for Saturday’s home defeat
-
go to hell in a handbasket
- North American informal deteriorate rapidly: the world is going to hell in a handbasket
-
hell for leather
- as fast as possible: I tore hell for leather out of my garage
-
hell's bells
- informal an exclamation of annoyance or anger: Hell’s bells, Don, you’re being unreasonable
-
hell hath no fury like a woman scorned
- proverb a woman who has been rejected by a man can be ferociously angry and vindictive.
-
a (or one) hell of a ——
- informal used to emphasize something very bad or great: the car cost a hell of a lot of money
-
—— the hell out of
- informal used in verbal phrases to emphasize force, speed, etc.: let’s get the hell out of here
-
hell's half acre
- North American a great distance.
-
like hell
informal -
not a hope in hell
- see hope.
-
play hell (or merry hell)
British informal - create havoc: the kids play merry hell until she tells them to go to bed at once
- cause damage: the rough road played hell with the tyres
-
the road to hell is paved with good intentions
- proverb promises and plans must be put into action, otherwise they are useless.
-
there will be hell to pay
- informal serious trouble will occur as a result of a previous or proposed action: when I got it wrong, there would be hell to pay
-
to hell
- used for emphasis: damn it to hell
-
to hell with
- informal expressing one’s scorn or lack of concern for (someone or something).
-
until (or till) hell freezes over
- forever: they will have to wait until hell freezes over
-
what the hell
- informal it doesn’t matter: you’re already going to be home late, so what the hell
Origin:
Old English hel, hell, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch hel and German Hölle, from an Indo-European root meaning 'to cover or hide'