IdiomThe Absurd
English
Englishall hell breaks loose
Meaning: Chaos and disorder suddenly erupt.
Example: “When the fox got into the henhouse, all hell broke loose.”
Origin: The image of the damned escaping hell. Milton's Paradise Lost (1667) asks "Wherefore with thee came not all hell broke loose?"
Equivalents in other languages
Norwegian: Helt texas Literally: Completely Texas
Persian: خر بیار و باقالی بار کن (khar biyār o bāqālī bār kon) Literally: Bring a donkey and load it with fava beans
More English idioms
- make short work of something To deal with or finish something quickly.
- be put out to pasture To be retired or set aside as no longer useful.
- an uphill battle A long, difficult struggle.
- thumb one's nose at To show contempt or mockery for someone or something.
- saw off the branch one is sitting on To harm one's own position or interests.
- go around the houses To take a needlessly long or roundabout way.
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