for the hell of it
5
9.1
- idiom
- Informal
:
por diversión
- Did she never feel tempted to pick up a paintbrush again, just for the hell of it?
- just for the hell of it
Yeah, just just just for the hell of it, like Santa's Little Helper.
- Yeah, just just just for the hell of it, like Santa's Little Helper.
Examples
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And some people lie just for the hell of it.
Blog text (27) -
After a two-hour workout at Xclusive, I stopped by an automated teller machine where, just for the hell of it, I withdrew another hundred dollars, feeling better about having an even five hundred in my wallet.
Fiction book (2000) -
One more time, just for the hell of it.
-
You think I just brought you out here for the hell of it?
-
I had just sent it in for the hell of it.
Fiction book (1991) -
Well, let's go over it again just one more time for the hell of it.
-
Hey, just for the hell of it, what happened to the bit about the health clinics?
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Didn't you ever do anything just for the hell of it?
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Butch checks the phones once again, just for the hell of it.
Fiction book (1995) -
Let's try something new for the hell of it and see what happens.
Synonyms
144
1.2
For enjoyment or as a joke
11
8.1
To do something for fun, not for a serious reason
1
9.3
For fun, not for something serious
1
9.9
Just for fun and not for any serious reason
How Serious
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase’s idiomatic sense ‘for no particular reason / just for fun’ does not follow from the literal meanings of its parts (e.g. 'hell' as a place of punishment). 'Hell' here functions as a colloquial intensifier and the whole construction is conventionalized, so a B1 learner who only knows the constituent words would not reliably infer the intended meaning without prior exposure.
Etymology
For the hell of it may come from using the strong word hell to make an action sound wild or extreme. People began saying it when they did something just to be playful or a little wild, not because of a plan. So the phrase now means 'for no particular reason' or 'just for fun'.