"Going to hell in a handbasket", "going to hell in a handcart", "going to hell in a handbag", "go to hell in a bucket", "sending something to hell in a handbasket" and "something being like hell in a handbasket" are variations on an

allegorical As a literary device or artistic form, an allegory is a narrative or visual representation in which a character, place, or event can be interpreted to represent a hidden meaning with moral or political significance. Authors have used allegory th ...

locution of unclear origin, which describes a situation headed for disaster inescapably or precipitately. NOMG07HellHandbasketKidsWagon

Possible origins

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 Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...

Fairford Church St Mary's Church is a Church of England church in Fairford, Gloucestershire, England. It is notable for its complete set of 28 medieval stained-glass windows, one of the best-preserved in England. Part of the tower dates from the early 15th cen ...

in Gloucestershire and

Hieronymus Bosch Hieronymus Bosch (, ; born Jheronimus van Aken ; – 9 August 1516) was a Dutch/Netherlandish painter from Brabant. He is one of the most notable representatives of the Early Netherlandish painting school. His work, generally oil on oa ...

's painting '' The Haywain'', circa 1515, which portrays a large cart of hay being drawn by "infernal beings that drag everyone to Hell".

19th century usages

In the 19th century, the phrase has been found associated with the American

gold rush A gold rush or gold fever is a discovery of gold—sometimes accompanied by other precious metals and rare-earth minerals—that brings an onrush of miners seeking their fortune. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, New Z ...

of the 1840s where men were lowered by hand in baskets down mining shafts to set explosives which could have deadly consequences. The phrase has been used in sermons since at least 1841, as can be seen in the publication, ''Short Patent Sermons'': " hose peoplewho would rather ride to hell in a hand-cart than walk to heaven supported by the staff of industry". Also in 1841, a mention of the phrase can be found in ''The Star of Freedom'': "..Sanctified hypocrites will tell you not, and that, do what you will, you are all to go to hell in a handbasket, thereby, in fact, making you mere passive creatures in this world passive to their will..." In 1862, the journal ''Weekly Pacquet of Advice from Rome: or, The History of Popery'' stated: "...that noise of a Popish Plot was nothing in the world but an intrigue of the Whigs to destroy the Kings best Friends, and the Devil fetch me to Hell in a Hand basket, if I might have my will, there should not be one Fanatical Dog left alive in the three Kingdoms." I. Winslow Ayer's 1865

polemic Polemic () is contentious rhetoric intended to support a specific position by forthright claims and to undermine the opposing position. The practice of such argumentation is called ''polemics'', which are seen in arguments on controversial topics ...

alleges, "Judge

Morris Morris may refer to: Places Australia *St Morris, South Australia, place in South Australia Canada * Morris Township, Ontario, now part of the municipality of Morris-Turnberry * Rural Municipality of Morris, Manitoba ** Morris, Manitob ...

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 Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people. The Britis ...

to hell in a hand basket.

In popular culture

Various versions of the phrase have appeared in the title of several published works and other media: *'' To Hell in a Handbag'' is the title of a 2016 comic play by Helen Norton and Jonathan White.Event of the week: To Hell in a Handbag
by Peter Crawley, ''The Irish Times'', August 24, 2019 *''To Hell in a Handbasket'' is the name of humorist

H. Allen Smith Harry Allen Wolfgang Smith (December 19, 1907—February 24, 1976) was an American journalist, humorist, and writer whose books were popular in the 1940s and 1950s. Family and early career Smith was born in McLeansboro, Illinois, where he liv ...

'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 () by American cartoonist

Tom Tomorrow Tom Tomorrow is the pen name of editorial cartoonist Dan Perkins (born April 5, 1961, in Wichita, Kansas). His weekly comic strip, ''This Modern World'', which comments on current events, appears regularly in more than 80 newspapers across t ...

, who authors the cartoon strip ''

This Modern World ''This Modern World'' is a weekly satirical comic strip by cartoonist and political commentator Tom Tomorrow (real name Dan Perkins) that covers current events from a left-wing point of view. Published continuously for more than 30 years, ''This M ...

''. *"Hell in a handbasket" was the name of an undescribed con requiring a trained cat referenced in the 2004 film, ''

Ocean's Twelve ''Ocean's Twelve'' is a 2004 American heist comedy film directed by Steven Soderbergh and written by George Nolfi. The second installment in the ''Ocean's'' film trilogy franchise and the sequel to ''Ocean's Eleven'' (2001), the film features an ...

''. *"Hell in a Bucket" is a song off of the

Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock music, rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. The band is known for its eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, Folk music, folk, country music, country, jazz, bluegrass music, bluegrass, ...

's 1987 album '' In the Dark''. *''Hell in a Handbasket'' is a song from

Voltaire François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778) was a French Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher. Known by his ''Pen name, nom de plume'' M. de Voltaire (; also ; ), he was famous for his wit, and his ...

's '' Ooky Spooky'' album. *''

Hell in a Handbasket ''Hell in a Handbasket'' is the eleventh studio album by Meat Loaf, released September 30, 2011, in Australia and New Zealand, through Legacy Recordings (Sony Music Entertainment). A wider global release followed in early 2012. Background The a ...

'' is the title of a 2011

Meat Loaf Michael Lee Aday (born Marvin Lee Aday; September 27, 1947 – January 20, 2022), known professionally as Meat Loaf, was an American rock singer and actor. He was noted for his powerful, wide-ranging voice and theatrical live shows. He is on t ...

album.

References

{{Reflist English phrases Hell in popular culture