hell-for-leather
Americanadjective
adverb
Etymology
Origin of hell-for-leather
First recorded in 1885–90
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Fans who have long mourned F1’s transformation from hell-for-leather test of nerve into slick entertainment product see this as merely the latest in a string of measures to sanitize the sport.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026
This year, however, an unusual set of weather patterns and warm Pacific Ocean waters have short-circuited these normally reliable safeguards and allowed Hurricane Hilary to make its hell-for-leather dash for Southern California.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2023
And once an algorithm sees something working, it’s going hell-for-leather to replicate those results as much as possible.
From Slate ● Aug. 22, 2021
Me, I love the Monsters; those Picasso-mocking ladies equipped with extra pairs of eyes have the hell-for-leather disarray of his best Dada works.
From The Guardian ● Nov. 23, 2016
The hell-for-leather riding tactics practiced in the era, and the absence of protective gear, increased the vulnerability of race riders to mortal injury.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
