(~s)
Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English.
1.
In some religions, ~ is the place where the Devil lives, and where wicked people are sent to be punished when they die. Hell is usually imagined as being under the ground and full of flames.
N-PROPER; N-COUNT
2.
If you say that a particular situation or place is ~, you are emphasizing that it is extremely unpleasant.
...the ~ of the Siberian labor camps...
= misery
N-VAR emphasis
3.
Hell is used by some people when they are angry or excited, or when they want to emphasize what they are saying.
‘Hell, no!’ the doctor snapped.
EXCLAM emphasis
4.
You can use as ~ after adjectives or some adverbs to emphasize the adjective or adverb. (INFORMAL)
The men might be armed, but they sure as ~ weren’t trained...
PHRASE: adj PHR emphasis
5.
If you say that a place or a situation is ~ on earth or a ~ on earth, you are emphasizing that it is extremely unpleasant or that it causes great suffering.
She believed she would die in the snake-infested sand dunes. She said: ‘It was ~ on earth’.
= living ~
PHRASE: oft v-link PHR emphasis
6.
If someone does something for the ~ of it, or just for the ~ of it, they do it for fun or for no particular reason. (INFORMAL)
Managers seem to be spending millions just for the ~ of it.
PHRASE: usu PHR with cl, PHR after v, n PHR
7.
You can use from ~ after a noun when you are emphasizing that something or someone is extremely unpleasant or evil. (INFORMAL)
He’s a child from ~...
PHRASE: n PHR emphasis
8.
If you tell someone to go to ~, you are angrily telling them to go away and leave you alone. (INFORMAL, RUDE)
‘Well, you can go to ~!’ He swept out of the room.
PHRASE feelings
9.
If you say that someone can go to ~, you are emphasizing angrily that you do not care about them and that they will not stop you doing what you want. (INFORMAL, RUDE)
Peter can go to ~. It’s my money and I’ll leave it to who I want...
PHRASE emphasis
10.
If you say that someone is going ~ for leather, you are emphasizing that they are doing something or are moving very quickly and perhaps carelessly. (INFORMAL)
The first horse often goes ~ for leather, hits a few fences but gets away with it...
PHRASE: usu v PHR emphasis
11.
Some people say like ~ to emphasize that they strongly disagree with you or are strongly opposed to what you say. (INFORMAL)
‘I’ll go myself.’—‘Like ~ you will!’
PHRASE: usu PHR cl emphasis
12.
Some people use like ~ to emphasize how strong an action or quality is. (INFORMAL)
It hurts like ~...
PHRASE: PHR after v emphasis
13.
If you describe a place or situation as a living ~, you are emphasizing that it is extremely unpleasant. (INFORMAL)
School is a living ~ for some children.
PHRASE: v-link PHR emphasis
14.
If you say that all ~ breaks loose, you are emphasizing that a lot of arguing or fighting suddenly starts. (INFORMAL)
He had an affair, I found out and then all ~ broke loose.
PHRASE: V inflects emphasis
15.
If you talk about a ~ of a lot of something, or one ~ of a lot of something, you mean that there is a large amount of it. (INFORMAL)
The manager took a ~ of a lot of money out of the club.
PHRASE: usu PHR of n/-ing emphasis
16.
Some people use a ~ of or one ~ of to emphasize that something is very good, very bad, or very big. (INFORMAL)
Whatever the outcome, it’s going to be one ~ of a fight.
PHRASE: PHR n emphasis
17.
Some people use the ~ out of for emphasis after verbs such as ‘scare’, ‘irritate’, and ‘beat’. (INFORMAL)
I patted the top of her head in the condescending way I knew irritated the ~ out of her...
PHRASE: v PHR n emphasis
18.
If you say there’ll be ~ to pay, you are emphasizing that there will be serious trouble. (INFORMAL)
There would be ~ to pay when Ferguson and Tony found out about it.
PHRASE: V inflects emphasis
19.
To play ~ with something means to have a bad effect on it or cause great confusion. In British English, you can also say that one person or thing plays merry ~ with another. (INFORMAL)
Lord Beaverbrook, to put it bluntly, played ~ with the war policy of the R.A.F...
PHRASE: V inflects, usu PHR with n
20.
If you say that someone raises ~, you are emphasizing that they protest strongly and angrily about a situation in order to persuade other people to correct it or improve it. (INFORMAL)
The only way to preserve democracy is to raise ~ about its shortcomings.
PHRASE: V inflects emphasis
21.
People sometimes use the ~ for emphasis in questions, after words such as ‘what’, ‘where’, and ‘why’, often in order to express anger. (INFORMAL, RUDE)
Where the ~ have you been?...
PHRASE: quest PHR emphasis
22.
If you go through ~, or if someone puts you through ~, you have a very difficult or unpleasant time. (INFORMAL)
All of you seem to have gone through ~ making this record...
PHRASE: V inflects
23.
If you say you hope to ~ or wish to ~ that something is true, you are emphasizing that you strongly hope or wish it is true. (INFORMAL)
I hope to ~ you’re right.
PHRASE: V inflects, PHR that emphasis
24.
If you say that you will do something come ~ or high water, you are emphasizing that you are determined to do it, in spite of the difficulties involved.
I’ve always managed to get into work come ~ or high water.
PHRASE: usu PHR after v emphasis
25.
You can say ‘what the ~’ when you decide to do something in spite of the doubts that you have about it. (INFORMAL)
What the ~, I thought, at least it will give the lazy old man some exercise.
PHRASE feelings
26.
If you say ‘to ~ with’ something, you are emphasizing that you do not care about something and that it will not stop you from doing what you want to do. (INFORMAL)
To ~ with this, I’m getting out of here...
PHRASE: PHR n emphasis