hell if I know
Synonym of I don't know.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“Where are my keys? Hell if I know.”
“He asked me why the train was delayed, but hell if I know.”
“When the inspector demanded to know who had left the gate unlocked, the guard simply shrugged and said, hell if I know.”
The idiom likely developed as an ellipsis of the earlier the hell if I know, which was itself derived from the construction to hell if I know. The source material provides no dates or named entities for the evolution of the phrase.
- 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 far as one knows
To the best of one's knowledge, as far as someone knows or possible information to be gathered about the topic, subject, aspect, or situation.
- 04
as you know
as it is already known.
- 05
catch hell
To be severely reprimanded, punished, or beaten.
- 06
cold day in Hell
The time of occurrence of an event that will never happen.
- 07
come hell or high water
Regardless of the hardships; no matter what difficulties may arise.
- 08
forty minutes of hell
The NCAA strategy of playing a suffocating full-court press and aggressive offense for the entirety of a game.
Last updated August 10, 2026