hellbent

be hell-bent on

To be very determined to do something, perhaps annoyingly so. She's hell-bent on coming here for Thanksgiving, so we better clean the guest room. I'm hell-bent on getting an A on this exam, so I've been studying all week.
See also: on

hell-bent

Very determined to do something, perhaps annoyingly or recklessly so. She's hell-bent on coming here for Thanksgiving, so we better clean the guest room. I'm hell-bent on getting an A on this exam, so I've been studying all week.

hell-bent for (something)

Moving toward some place or thing very quickly and/or recklessly. I always find myself yelling at other drivers when I'm hell-bent for work.

hell-bent for leather

Very quickly or as quickly as possible. The "leather" in the phrase is thought to refer to a horse's saddle or whip. When her ex-boyfriend walked into the party, Patty went hell-bent for leather to get out of there.
See also: leather
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

hell-bent for leather

Inf. moving or behaving recklessly; riding a horse fast and recklessly. They took off after the horse thief, riding hell-bent for leather. Here comes the boss. She's not just angry; she's hell-bent for leather.
See also: leather
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

hell-bent for leather

Moving recklessly fast, as in Out the door she went, hell-bent for leather. The use of hell-bent in the sense of "recklessly determined" dates from the first half of the 1800s. Leather alludes to a horse's saddle and to riding on horseback; this colloquial expression may be an American version of the earlier British army jargon hell for leather, first recorded in 1889.
See also: leather
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

hell-bent for leather

Moving rapidly and with determination. “Hell” in this case strengthens the word “bent,” which means a direct route (although it sounds as though it should mean the opposite). “Leather” refers either to a saddle or to a whip used to urge a horse to move faster, or perhaps items. “Hell for leather” meaning “all deliberate haste” was a popular phrase in itself. Among a number of variants is “hell-bent for election,” said to have originated with the 1840 Maine gubernatorial race and appearing in an 1899 Stephen Crane story: “One puncher racin' his cow-pony hell-bent-for-election down Main Street.” Others are “hell-bent for breakfast,” “for Sunday,” and “for Georgia.”
See also: leather
Endangered Phrases by Steven D. Price
See also:
  • be hell-bent on
  • be hell-bent on something/on doing something
  • hell-bent
  • bent on
  • bent on (doing something)
  • bent on doing
  • bent on something/on doing something
  • hell-bent for
  • hell-bent for (something)
  • make allowance for
References in periodicals archive
Everyone comes up to look at Hellbent and we have to sign plenty of autographs for the audience.
Family is Hellbent on win in battle of the robots
Of course, he adds -- with a little pride coming through his tangy accent -- it makes sense that Australians are hellbent on developing extremely high-quality antivenins.
Snakebite succor: researchers foresee antivenin improvements
Yet where Churchill was able to forge international alliances for the good of the country, Johnson is hellbent on tearing us from the world's biggest trading bloc in the most destructive way possible.
Johnson is no Winston; VOICE OF THE; BORIS Johnson sees himself as a modernday version of his hero Winston Churchill
BRECHIN v QUEEN OF STH GARY NAYSMITH reckons Brechin will be hellbent on finishing the season with a victory to avoid going through the entire campaign without one.
Nay chance we'll ease up
If you're a decent and reasonable personand not, say, a Holocaust-denying dictatorial maniac hellbent on oppressing his own people and inciting religious waryou'd probably want to shy away from anything that suggests you're into, you know, bloodshed.
Abbas to Israelis: Drop Dead, and I'll Pay For It
On social care and pensions, this nasty woman and her party are hellbent on dividing this country.
Shame on May for disgraceful policies
Benilde and the graduating Blazer is hellbent on leaving the school a champion.
Graduating De Guzman vows to win NCAA title in for CSB
In contrast, she said, PM Theresa May appeared to be "hellbent" on "hard Brexit" - an outcome she argues was not on the ballot paper.
Brexit top concern for Plaid annual conference
I feel you would not dare print my comments regarding this pathetic creature who like his allies are hellbent on destroying our country.
Osborne treats us like children
Thatcher's government was hellbent on destroying the mining industry, which they achieved.
Letter of the WEEK; Letters
Put a cold beer or two into the dude and you'll unleash a skate beast hellbent on spot destruction.
Dylan Witkin
The majority of Coventry citizens obviously vote for a Labour council at election time, or they wouldn't be there, so isn't it time for those people to change their vote and remove what is an incompetent council, hellbent on wasting our money at every turn.
Station is just latest 'faux pas' Letters letters@coventrytelegraph.net
Greece is one of the nations which can't really afford membership yet were welcomed by an EU hellbent on creating a Federal Europe.
EU should kick out Greece now
Veteran Hurriyet leader, Syed Ali Gilani in a statement issued in Srinagar said that the communal and the fascist forces in India with the full backing of BJPled government were hellbent upon eliminating the internationally disputed status of Jammu and Kashmir.
Indian troops martyr five more Kashmiri youth in IOK
Thug Breen, 34, who sources claim has been running his criminal empire from behind bars, is apparently hellbent on showing other gangs who have set up on his patch that he is in charge.
FEUD FEAR AT RELEASE OF THUG BREEN; Crime boss prepares to 'settle old scores'