To hell in a handbasket
Encyclopedia
"Going to hell in a handbasket", "going to hell in a handcart", "going to hell in a handbag" and '"sending something to hell in a handbasket" are variations on an American alliterative
locution
of unclear origin, which describes a situation headed for disaster without effort or in great haste.
Its first use recorded in the Oxford English Dictionary
is in an historical work of 1865 by I. Windslow Ayer, alleging that Judge Morris
of the Circuit Court of Illinois at an August meeting of Order of the Sons of Liberty
said: "Thousands of our best men were prisoners in Camp Douglas, and if once at liberty would ‘send abolitionists
to hell in a hand basket.'"
It has also appeared in the title of several published works and other media:
Alliteration
In language, alliteration refers to the repetition of a particular sound in the first syllables of Three or more words or phrases. Alliteration has historically developed largely through poetry, in which it more narrowly refers to the repetition of a consonant in any syllables that, according to...
locution
Figure of speech
A figure of speech is the use of a word or words diverging from its usual meaning. It can also be a special repetition, arrangement or omission of words with literal meaning, or a phrase with a specialized meaning not based on the literal meaning of the words in it, as in idiom, metaphor, simile,...
of unclear origin, which describes a situation headed for disaster without effort or in great haste.
Its first use recorded in the Oxford English Dictionary
Oxford English Dictionary
The Oxford English Dictionary , published by the Oxford University Press, is the self-styled premier dictionary of the English language. Two fully bound print editions of the OED have been published under its current name, in 1928 and 1989. The first edition was published in twelve volumes , and...
is in an historical work of 1865 by I. Windslow Ayer, alleging that Judge Morris
Buckner Stith Morris
Buckner Stith Morris served as Mayor of Chicago, Illinois for the Whig Party.Morris traveled north from Georgia in 1832, marrying Evelina Barker in Kentucky. The couple arrived in Chicago in 1834 where Morris established a law practice with J. Young Scammon and created the Chicago Lyceum, the...
of the Circuit Court of Illinois at an August meeting of Order of the Sons of Liberty
Knights of the Golden Circle
The Knights of the Golden Circle was a secret society. Some researchers believe the objective of the KGC was to prepare the way for annexation of a golden circle of territories in Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean for inclusion in the United States as slave states...
said: "Thousands of our best men were prisoners in Camp Douglas, and if once at liberty would ‘send abolitionists
Abolitionism
Abolitionism is a movement to end slavery.In western Europe and the Americas abolitionism was a movement to end the slave trade and set slaves free. At the behest of Dominican priest Bartolomé de las Casas who was shocked at the treatment of natives in the New World, Spain enacted the first...
to hell in a hand basket.'"
It has also appeared in the title of several published works and other media:
- "To Hell in a Handbasket" is the name of humorist H. Allen SmithH. Allen SmithFor the congressman see H. Allen SmithHarry Allen Wolfgang Smith was an American journalist and humorist whose books were popular in the 1940s and 1950s, selling millions of copies....
's 1962 autobiography. - "Hell in a Handbasket" was the title of a 1988 Star Trek comic book.
- Hell in a Handbasket is the title of a 2006 book (ISBN 1585424587) by American countercultureCountercultureCounterculture is a sociological term used to describe the values and norms of behavior of a cultural group, or subculture, that run counter to those of the social mainstream of the day, the cultural equivalent of political opposition. Counterculture can also be described as a group whose behavior...
cartoonist Tom TomorrowTom TomorrowTom Tomorrow is the pen name of editorial cartoonist Dan Perkins. His weekly comic strip This Modern World, which comments on current events, appears regularly in over 90 newspapers across the U.S. and Canada as of 2006, as well as on CREDO Action and Daily Kos, where he is its comics curator...
, who authors a nationally syndicated cartoon strip This Modern WorldThis Modern WorldThis Modern World is a weekly satirical comic strip by cartoonist and political commentator Tom Tomorrow that covers current events from a liberal point of view. Tomorrow also runs a weblog that informs readers about stories of interest, often presented as a follow up to his cartoons...
. - "Hell in a handbasket" was the name of an undescribed conConfidence trickA confidence trick is an attempt to defraud a person or group by gaining their confidence. A confidence artist is an individual working alone or in concert with others who exploits characteristics of the human psyche such as dishonesty and honesty, vanity, compassion, credulity, irresponsibility,...
requiring a trained cat referenced in the 2004 film, Ocean's TwelveOcean's TwelveOcean's Twelve is a 2004 American crime comedy film, the sequel to 2001's Ocean's Eleven. Like its predecessor, which was a remake of the 1960 film Ocean's 11, the film used a celebrity ensemble cast. It was released in the United States on December 10, 2004. A third film, Ocean's Thirteen, was...
. - "Hell in a Handbasket" is a song from VoltaireVoltaire (musician)Voltaire , is a popular dark cabaret Cuban-American musician...
's Ooky Spooky album. - Hell in a HandbasketHell in a HandbasketHell in a Handbasket is the 12th studio album by Meat Loaf, released September 30, 2011 by Sony Records in Australia, followed by a release in early 2012 worldwide....
is the title of a 2012 Meat LoafMeat LoafMichael Lee Aday , better known by his stage name, Meat Loaf, is an American hard rock musician and actor...
album