hell's bells
/ˌhɛlz ˈbɛlz/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.00 in modern English
15
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
3
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
intj
An expression of frustration, outrage, or surprise.
noun
Example Sentences
- "What's the matter with his talking so polite? Hell's bells, Harry, no harm in being polite. There's some regular he-men that are just as polite as women, prett' near."
- ""You've never had a woman in any of your other pictures. Why do you want one for this?" / "Hell's Bells! You don't think I'm consulting my own preference, I hope.""
- "Hell's bells, they even shot the dog."
Etymology
From hell + -’s + bells, possibly an elaboration of hell (used to express anger, discontent, or unhappiness) with bells chosen to rhyme with hell’s. The noun sense (Datura stramonium) may allude to the often spiny seed capsules of the poisonous plant which somewhat resemble bells when they mature and split open; compare devil's cucumber, devil's snare, devil's trumpet, and devil's weed which are other common names for the plant.
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˌhɛlz ˈbɛlz/
- British English: /ˌhɛlz ˈbɛlz/