hell has no fury like a woman scorned

Idioms and Phrases

No anger is worse than that of a jilted woman. For example, Nancy has nothing good to say about Tom—hell has no fury, you know . This term is a shortening of William Congreve's lines, “Heav'n has no rage, like love to hatred turn'd, nor Hell a fury like a woman scorn'd” ( The Mourning Bride , 1697). Similar lines appear in several plays of the same period. Today the proverb is often shortened even more, as in the example.