| the offspring of a zebra and a donkey. |
| a fool or simpleton; ninny. |
hell (hɛl) ![]() | |
| —n | |
| 1. | (sometimes capital) Christianity |
| a. the place or state of eternal punishment of the wicked after death, with Satan as its ruler | |
| b. forces of evil regarded as residing there | |
| 2. | (sometimes capital) Hel Hades See also Sheol (in various religions and cultures) the abode of the spirits of the dead |
| 3. | pain, extreme difficulty, etc |
| 4. | informal a cause of such difficulty or suffering: war is hell |
| 5. | (US), (Canadian) high spirits or mischievousness: there's hell in that boy |
| 6. | a box used by a tailor for discarded material |
| 7. | rare a gambling house, booth, etc |
| 8. | as hell (intensifier): tired as hell |
| 9. | informal for the hell of it for the fun of it |
| 10. | informal from hell denoting a person or thing that is particularly bad or alarming: neighbour from hell; hangover from hell |
| 11. | informal give someone hell |
| a. to give someone a severe reprimand or punishment | |
| b. to be a source of annoyance or torment to someone | |
| 12. | informal hell of a, helluva (intensifier): a hell of a good performance |
| 13. | hell for leather at great speed |
| 14. | informal hell or high water, come hell or high water whatever difficulties may arise |
| 15. | informal hell to pay serious consequences, as of a foolish action |
| 16. | informal like hell |
| a. (adverb) (intensifier): he works like hell | |
| b. an expression of strong disagreement with a previous statement, request, order, etc | |
| 17. | informal play hell with, play merry hell with to throw into confusion and disorder; disrupt |
| 18. | raise hell |
| a. to create a noisy disturbance, as in fun | |
| b. to react strongly and unfavourably | |
| 19. | informal the hell : the hell I will |
| a. (intensifier) used in such phrases as what the hell, who the hell, etc | |
| b. an expression of strong disagreement or disfavour | |
| —interj | |
| 20. | informal an exclamation of anger, annoyance, surprise, etc (Also in exclamations such as hell's bells, hell's teeth, etc) |
| [Old English hell; related to helan to cover, Old Norse hel, Gothic halja hell, Old High German hella] | |
hell definition
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raise hell definition
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raise the devil (with (so)) definitionand raise hell (with (so))
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raise the devil (with (sth)) definitionand raise hell (with (sth))
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derived from the Saxon helan, to cover; hence the covered or the invisible place. In Scripture there are three words so rendered: (1.) Sheol, occurring in the Old Testament sixty-five times. This word sheol is derived from a root-word meaning "to ask," "demand;" hence insatiableness (Prov. 30:15, 16). It is rendered "grave" thirty-one times (Gen. 37:35; 42:38; 44:29, 31; 1 Sam. 2:6, etc.). The Revisers have retained this rendering in the historical books with the original word in the margin, while in the poetical books they have reversed this rule. In thirty-one cases in the Authorized Version this word is rendered "hell," the place of disembodied spirits. The inhabitants of sheol are "the congregation of the dead" (Prov. 21:16). It is (a) the abode of the wicked (Num. 16:33; Job 24:19; Ps. 9:17; 31:17, etc.); (b) of the good (Ps. 16:10; 30:3; 49:15; 86:13, etc.). Sheol is described as deep (Job 11:8), dark (10:21, 22), with bars (17:16). The dead "go down" to it (Num. 16:30, 33; Ezek. 31:15, 16, 17). (2.) The Greek word hades of the New Testament has the same scope of signification as sheol of the Old Testament. It is a prison (1 Pet. 3:19), with gates and bars and locks (Matt. 16:18; Rev. 1:18), and it is downward (Matt. 11:23; Luke 10:15). The righteous and the wicked are separated. The blessed dead are in that part of hades called paradise (Luke 23:43). They are also said to be in Abraham's bosom (Luke 16:22). (3.) Gehenna, in most of its occurrences in the Greek New Testament, designates the place of the lost (Matt. 23:33). The fearful nature of their condition there is described in various figurative expressions (Matt. 8:12; 13:42; 22:13; 25:30; Luke 16:24, etc.). (See HINNOM.)