The origin of the phrase has been much debated. Its usage may be dated to the baskets used to catch guillotined heads in the eighteenth century. Early visualizations of the phrase might possibly be associated with religious iconography such as the stained glass windows of Fairford Church in Gloucestershire and Hieronymus Bosch's painting The Haywain, circa 1515, which portrays a large cart of hay being drawn by "infernal beings that drag everyone to Hell". Witryna27 lip 2024 · The first attestation is from 1682, the variation to hell in a handcart is attested since 1841, and a phrase similar to to heaven in a wheelbarrow is first attested in 1618. The popularity of the variation "to hell in a handbasket" may be connected to its alliteration. [1] Pronunciation [ edit] Audio (AU) Prepositional phrase [ edit]
GO TO HELL IN A HANDCART - Cambridge English Dictionary
Witrynago to hell in a handbasket idiom US, informal : to become completely ruined He's convinced that the country is going to hell in a handbasket. Articles Related to go to … Witryna1 lis 2001 · Hell in a "handbasket" Posted by Tom on November 01, 2001. Why does one go to "hell in a handbasket" as opposed to some other form of conveyance? meats diabetics can eat
expressions - Why "off to hell in a handcart"? - English …
WitrynaThe idea that the term was originally "Hen basket" is entirely speculative. "Hen baskets" have nothing to do with the metaphor. We should not assume that "Hell in X basket" implies a human being carried in the said basket, obvious though that may seem. The origin could be more obscure. There is evidence that the term is of English origin. Witryna29 kwi 1990 · The origin is believed to be to heaven in a handbasket, a locution that Dialect Notes spotted in 1913 in Kansas, where it was taken to mean ''to have a … WitrynaThe earliest known instance of the phrase in its modern usage dates to 1831, and actually uses "hand-barrow": "Let us treat the old frumps to a kick. And consign them to hell in a hand-barrow." That version didn't stick around, but the "handbasket" and "hand-cart" versions both began appearing (again) by 1841, and they both are still in usage. peggy west