like a bat out of hell
like a bat out of hell
Very quickly or abruptly. His tires squealed as he drove out of the parking lot like a bat out of hell.
See also: bat, hell, like, of, out
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
like a bat out of hell
Inf. very fast or sudden. (Use caution with hell.) The cat took off like a bat out of hell. The car pulled away from the curb like a bat out of hell.
See also: bat, hell, like, of, out
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
like a bat out of hell
Moving extremely fast, as in She ran down the street like a bat out of hell. This expression presumably alludes to the rapid darting movement of bats and, Charles Earle Funk theorized, their avoidance of such light as might be cast by the fires of hell. [c. 1900] For a synonym, see like greased lightning.
See also: bat, hell, like, of, out
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
like a bat out of hell
INFORMALIf you go somewhere like a bat out of hell, you go there very quickly. She tore across the highway like a bat out of hell. I nearly ploughed right into her. Note: In this expression, `bat' is used to refer to a small, flying mammal. Bats are often associated with the devil, probably because they usually fly at night.
See also: bat, hell, like, of, out
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.
like a bat out of hell
very fast and wildly. informal 1995 Patrick McCabe The Dead School Like a bat out of hell that Joe Buck gets on out of the apartment and doesn't stop running till he reaches Times Square.
See also: bat, hell, like, of, out
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
like a ˌbat out of ˈhell
(informal) very fast: If there were a fire, I wouldn’t try to save any possessions. I’d be off like a bat out of hell!See also: bat, hell, like, of, out
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
like a bat out of hell
mod. very fast or sudden. (Use caution with hell.) The cat took off like a bat out of hell.
See also: bat, hell, like, of, out
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions
like a bat out of hell
Moving very fast indeed. This expression arose in the Air Force during World War I, originally likening the flight of fighter planes to that of the only surviving flying mammal. It soon was extended to any fast movement. A synonym with a similar combative origin is like a shot, dating from the late 1800s and alluding to the rapidity of a gunshot.
See also: bat, hell, like, of, out
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
- go to bat for
- go to bat for (one)
- go to bat for somebody
- go to bat for someone
- be hell on wheels
- hell for leather
- hell of a lot of (something)
- hell and high water
- be hell on
- be hell on (one)