give someone hell
To castigate someone; to dress them down.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“My boss gave me hell for being late again.”
“When the team missed the deadline, the manager gave them hell during the morning meeting.”
“The strict professor gave the students hell for their lack of preparation before the final examination.”
- 01
all hell breaks loose
The situation becomes chaotic or characterized by conflict or rage.
- 02
all over hell's half acre
All over the place; everywhere.
- 03
as if someone owns the place
Alternative form of like someone owns the place.
- 04
beat someone round the ears
To beat (a person) with blows about the head.
- 05
bless someone with
To give or bestow, as a gift from God.
- 06
bring someone to their knees
To defeat and make submit to orders.
- 07
call someone every name in the book
To call someone many abusive names.
- 08
call someone everything but a child of God
To call someone many abusive names.
Last updated August 10, 2026