Hells bells

[Dee Sa]

when I was little and in the days before swearing all the time, my old dad [ now long gone] used to say "HELLS, BELLS DORIS" to my mum when he was really really angry [ hes vexed my nan used to say] and we all kept our distance, just wonder where it came from, are there bells in hell ?

[Naomicorlett]

I don't know but my darling dad used to say " hell's bells and buckets of blood " when he got " vexed" ( lovely word " Eeee I'm that vexed ! " )

[Naomicorlett]

The Lion and Albert
And Mother said " Ee, I am vexed "

(th verse.
Now see what you have made me do ...I am all off in a tangent.

[ladyalex]

There's a song that goes
The bells of Hell go dingalingaling
For you but not for me

I'm not sure how it continues, but it suggests that there are indeed bells in Hell.
There is also a female drumming group locally called Elles Bells which I think is rather good.

[ladyalex]

* Elles Belles*

[ladyalex]

http://sniff.numachi....LHELL;ttBELLHELL.html

[swedeheart]

I suspect it's really just a matter of rhyming. Although a poster on Yahoo Answers quotes History Channel thusly:

It was a term first used in WW II by submariners. The US Navy came up with a sonar recognition device that would help detect underwater mines. A "ping' was sent out and when the noise reached the mine, it would echo back as a bell sound. The sub captain would therefore have to turn the sub immediately (the mine could be detected in 300 yards) or be blown to bits, therefore the term hells bells.



...I still think it's true origin is the fact that it rhymes, if you see what I mean.

♫ ♪ Oh death where is thy sting-a-ling-a-ling ♫ ♪ - nice one, ladyalex!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-UHaCZSBeM

[swedeheart]

Its. Not it's.