English Language & Usage Asked by vul3 on December 9, 2020
What does “raise holy hell” mean? Is it a common phrase to use? I Googled the phrase, but couldn’t find any definition.
It is used in the following context:
In the end it was Stanley Stewart, from the family’s third generation, who raised holy hell (including knocking over a table during a heated argument) and finally convinced the family to move ahead with its own branding campaign.
It means to create havoc or chaos, usually in a confrontational or argumentative way.
If you search for raise hell you'll find the definition you're looking for - here's one. The word holy is just there as emphasis. I particularly like the way in which holy and hell used together - being opposites - show the breadth of the chaos that holy hell will create.
Correct answer by Lunivore on December 9, 2020
To raise / create: Holy Hell; Merry Hell; All Hell; Hell on Earth; a Hell of a Stink, were widely used expressions in UK English as recently as the late 20th Century.
The use of 'religious' references [ Holy; Hell; Jesus; etc] in UK English as curses has a long history with words such as 'Zounds' = HIS wounds / Jesus' wounds, being common in Shakespearian and subsequent times. This use has declined rapidly with the decline in perceived fear of divine power and retribution.
A similar softer cursing - ruddy = bloody; heck = hell has also fallen into non-use.
Modern UK cursing, swearing and personal abuse now focuses on, for example: sexual references utilizing the short Anglo Saxon words for sexual [Female] parts, and the act of copulation.
Answered by user63597 on December 9, 2020
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