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hell's bells

American  

interjection

Informal.

  1. (used to indicate vexation or surprise.)

Etymology

Origin of hell's bells

First recorded in 1910–15

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.

This solitude that’s being forced on me and my wife is — hell’s bells as it is — just standard operating procedure.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2020

As is usual in this sort of recital, hell's bells ring a lot more appealingly than any other place's.

From Time Magazine Archive

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.