# hell-bent for leather

> English word · Adverb

## Definitions
1. determinedly recklessly, in a manner that lacks restraint.
2. Synonym of hell-for-leather (“very fast”).
3. Synonym of hell-bent (“(recklessly) determined”).

## Etymology
Apparently a blend of hell-bent + hell-for-leather, though sometimes said to have been initially applied to animals which behaved poorly as if they were bent on being turned into leather.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-09-03.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/hell-bent-for-leather