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Hell-bent for leather

adv

Definitions

Adverb
  1. 1
    determinedly recklessly, in a manner that lacks restraint. not-comparable

    "[...] his Supply Officer was hell bent for leather to torpedo his tour as the Commanding Officer and wanted explanations, or at least reassurances."

  2. 2
    Synonym of hell-for-leather (“very fast”). not-comparable

    "“Gosh!” said Marking. “Where the hell did the Japs get that? [...Was that] a Jap plane? God damn, it was fast.” And I agreed, “It was hell-bent for leather some place.”"

  3. 3
    Synonym of hell-bent (“(recklessly) determined”). not-comparable

    "It had been quite some piece of road from an eastern region of Arizona to SOD, but Jethro was hell-bent for leather. His desire for a meeting with Zelda Klemp had taken him over. He'd been driving since late the previous night ..."

Etymology

Apparently a blend of hell-bent + hell-for-leather, though sometimes said to have been initially applied to animals which behaved poorly as if they were bent on being turned into leather.

See also for "hell-bent for leather"

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