hell's bells

English

Etymology

From hell +‎ bell. The interjection is attested from the 19th century. Reference to Datura stramonium appears later; compare devil's snare, devil's weed.

Interjection

hell's bells

1. (mildly vulgar) An expression of surprise, contempt, outrage, disgust, boredom, or frustration.
   • 1932, Delos W. Lovelace, King Kong, published 1965, page 6:

     ‘Hell’s Bells! You don’t think I’m consulting my own preference, I hope.’

Synonyms

• (expression of surprise): See Thesaurus:wow
• (expression of disgust): See Thesaurus:dammit

Noun

hell's bells, Datura stramonium

1. Datura stramonium (jimsonweed).

Translations

Datura stramonium

• Maori: niniao
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Russian: дурма́н обыкнове́нный m (durmán obyknovénnyj), дурма́н воню́чий m (durmán vonjúčij)

See also

• hell's teeth