Hell in a handbasket

Suggest a Correction

Meaning

A rapid or unchecked decline into ruin, disorder, or moral decay. Current informal idiom Regional use: United States and Britain.

Origin

Although often labelled American, the family of expressions is older and transatlantic. British examples of travelling to hell in various conveyances date from the 17th century, including a handbasket in 1682. Handbasket and handcart became fixed forms during the 19th century, and the now-common sense of general deterioration is clear in American print by 1896. The image is of damnation made effortless by being carried.

Variants

  • go to hell in a handbasket
  • hell in a handcart
  • go to hell in a handcart

Usage Examples

  • Without maintenance, the once-grand theatre went to hell in a handbasket.
  • Every generation seems convinced that manners are sliding to hell in a handcart.

Browse More

A to Z More H phrases