Aren’t you amazed at some questions people ask without even giving them a second thought? Like those words just fly out of their mouths unfiltered and then they stand there waiting for a reply not realizing the gravity of what they uttered. Like when boundary crossers just trample that invisible line. Or when surveys ask whatever they want daring you to bare it all! I totally get the you don’t ask you don’t get method of information retrieval but c’mon. And some people are blissfully unaware of the exact moment that they stuff their entire foot into their mouths right in front of yuh. Like this genius…
The only thing to say to that dude is hell to the no. Then there’s the loud mouthed know it all who’s so judgy she doesn’t even take note of her surroundings or audience. Honey, maybe try to curb your comments especially right in front of the place? Jeez. Tough crowd.
Quora talks about the origins of this emphatic phrase. “Hell to the no!” is often associated with African American Vernacular English (AAVE) and became popular in the early 2000s. It gained significant mainstream attention through its use in popular culture, particularly in reality television and music. The character Tiffany on the reality show Flavor of Love helped propel it into popular usage. Since then, it has been used widely in various forms to express strong disapproval or refusal. And nothing is quite like it. I happen to be a fan the phrase and use it often.
I think 2025 is proving to be the year of boundaries. The upcoming generations just don’t want to work the hours to which we have become accustomed. They don’t want to put up with the hassles of owning a home. (Who does??) They do not take public transportation unless they absolutely have to. And they aren’t anxious to get married. Their reply to all of these old American standards is hell to the no. And I get it.
Isn’t that quote so undeniably funny and true?! People might be so caught up in what they think about themselves that they miss the obtuse nature of your comment, mistaking it for a yay instead of a nay. I’m sure I could write a whole blog post about that line. Stay tuned…
I once worked with a woman who intensely disliked another coworker. When gal two decided to leave the group and transfer to another part of the company, unable to hide her excitement, gal one ran into her office and said, “I heard the great news! When do you leave?” Hilarious.
I love when people think they are doing you a favor when really it is you doing a solid for them. The nerve! And they don’t even sell you on it so it falls flat. And they think you don’t know. Puh-leeze! We know. Did you ever get angry by association? I’d certainly be from the above. I got your back, Eddie.
Angry by association is a funny concept. Like when a friend of yours, for example, is treated so badly by a condescending colleague and didn’t respond the way you would have if that bitch from work had come at you like she did for your gal pal. And you stayed up late that night thinking of snappy retorts wishing it were you in that cellular tussle so you could show her what for! But you understand that your friend was caught off guard by the assault whereas you heard the story slow motion second hand, so you had time to organize your rebuttal for a complete and total verbal annihilation, unlike your friend that was in such a state of shock by the unexpected take down that she didn’t bring her A-game. Yeah. This happens to me! I do get angry by association. And to those who piss off or insult my friends… I say to all of you, hell to the no.
Remember the famous line from the old movie Network, “I’m mad as hell and I’m not gonna take this anymore!” I guess hell to the no is the update. I just love this phrase — It’s a funny, loud, super obnoxiously appropriate response to the things we need to rail against. I think it’s funniest with a southern drawl when the emphasis is on the extended word hell. Hilarious! And I think when properly delivered in an over the top kind of way, it puts a fun loving spin on a negative. Plus it’s so tongue and cheek that it can be received gently by the overreacher instead of landing as a brutal rebuff caused by their purposeful or accidental boundary crossing bigmouth.
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