Idiom
hell on wheels
Meaning
A situation that is tough, aggressive, lawless, and wild.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“That toddler is hell on wheels when he gets tired.”
“The new manager is hell on wheels, demanding constant updates and firing anyone who makes a mistake.”
“The frontier town was known as hell on wheels, a lawless place where outlaws and gold seekers clashed nightly in the dusty streets.”
Examples
simple
“That toddler is hell on wheels when he gets tired.”
contextual
“The new manager is hell on wheels, demanding constant updates and firing anyone who makes a mistake.”
complex
“The frontier town was known as hell on wheels, a lawless place where outlaws and gold seekers clashed nightly in the dusty streets.”
Origin
First used to refer to the towns at the end of the Union Pacific Railroad when under construction.
Key words
Related idioms
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