pay the devil in hell

This is where "hell to pay" originated from. In the days of wooden ships the timber that kept them afloat were covered in pitch or tar. The tar was applied to the bottom of the ship, or "hell" as it was called, and the process was called "paying". But before any of this was done strips of rope, wound fiber or hemp were pounded between the planks. These strips were called the "devil".

To sum it all up "paying the devil in hell" refers to pounding strips of fiber between planks and then coating them in tar. The term "hell to pay" refers to the constant maintenance of applying tar to keep the ship watertight. A job which no sailor wanted considering that "hell" was the darkest, dankest, disease ridden part of a sailing ship.

You'll pay the devil in hell or we'll all end up at the bottom of the ocean.

by Burt Trimlicker May 31, 2009

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been to hell and back

See to hell and back.

The mega worldwide tour of 50 cities in 30 days left me so worn out that I felt like I had been to hell and back.

by PlaceHolder June 16, 2004

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Aw HELL Naw!

A different version of saying "Oh hell no", usually used with an accent.

John: I'm going to go get a massage

His wife: Aw HELL Naw!

by TheDudeWithTude September 20, 2010

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clothesline from hell

Patented move from the great JBL (a wrestling god)

Batista encountered the clothesline from hell, and was no more

by Haldi December 15, 2005

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the smell from hell

the horrible stench which oozes and comes out of a vagina. so horrificly revolting and repulsive the capilaries in the nosetrils rupture and the fumes cause hallucination. in some cases cause death.

roses vagina was a.k.a the smell from hell

the smells from down under smelled like they just came from hell!

by Carl Arcilesi July 21, 2006

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