give (one) hell

(redirected from give one hell)

give (one) hell

1. To give someone a hard time by means of aggressive actions or attitude. I'd avoid the boss today—he's already given me hell.

2. To scold or reprimand someone, often severely. Mom will give you hell if you come home after curfew yet again.

3. To produce or present problems or challenges for one. This discrepancy in the budget is really giving me hell—I still haven't figured it out.

give them hell

An exclamation of encouragement for someone who is about to participate in something, often a competition, that is intended to motivate them to give their maximum effort in order to defeat their opponent ("them") or achieve success within that arena. "Them" is often shortened to "'em" or "em." Good luck out there, Dara! Give them hell! A: "I just don't know if I'm cut out for college." B: "Nonsense! You're gonna give 'em hell!"

give someone hell

Also, give someone the devil. Scold someone harshly. For example, The boss gave them hell for not finishing in time, or Mom will give her the devil if she doesn't get home soon. Also see give it to, def. 1.

See also: give, hell, someone

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

give someone hell

1. If someone gives you hell, they make your life very unpleasant by behaving badly towards you. She gets teased at school. The children give her hell, particularly the older boys. Their younger son gives them hell.

2. If someone gives you hell, they shout at you or speak to you angrily because you have done something wrong. I got home three hours late and my mum gave me hell.

3. If a part of your body is giving you hell, it is very painful. My back's been giving me hell.

See also: give, hell, someone

Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012

give someone (or get) hell

reprimand someone (or be reprimanded) severely. informal

See also: give, hell, someone

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

give somebody ˈhell

(informal)
1 make life unpleasant for somebody: Her back is giving her hell at the moment; she’s in constant pain.
2 shout at or speak angrily to somebody because they have done something wrong: His mother gave him hell for coming home so late.

give someone hell

1. tv. to bawl someone out; to scold someone severely. (Use caution with hell.) The boss just gave me hell about it.

2. tv. to trouble someone. (Use caution with hell.) This problem is giving us hell at the office.

See also: give, hell, someone

See also:

References in periodicals archive ?

REASONS TO BE FEARFUL When the big guns used to come to the Liberty Stadium, they did so with a sense of anticipation among home fans that Swansea could give one hell of an account of themselves and give themselves every chance of a result.

Needing more than spirit, tinkering too much and forward pressure; the things you chatted to your mates about after the game

"We knew we had to give one hell of a performance to win that game.

Bienvenido to a new year says medallist Terry; Spain move heralds new highs for Paralympic star