bent

A police officer who is corrupt, takes bribes, or abuses the privileges and powers of his or her position. The gangs are a problem, but it's the bent cops you really have to watch out for. I know a bent cop working down at the station. If we slip him a few hundred dollars, this charge might go away.

Bent over at the waist. I was bent double for nearly half an hour after he punched me in the stomach.

An older sailing phrase meaning about to or intending to get married. "Bent" in this context means determined or set (on a course of action), and "splice" refers to two ropes that have been joined to create a single, larger one. I can't wait for this voyage to be over, for I'm bent on a splice to my lady as soon as we reach home.

An exclamation of dismissal, anger, annoyance, or exasperation toward someone or in response to what he or she is saying. A: "I need to borrow $50 for my rent this month." B: "Get bent! You still owe me $100 from last month!" You're such a jerk sometimes, why don't you just get bent!

One's actions as an adult are dictated by behaviors learned in childhood. I can't believe she still doesn't listen to other people. I guess it's true that as the twig is bent, so is the tree inclined.

To be very determined to do something, perhaps annoyingly so. She's hell-bent on coming here for Thanksgiving, so we better clean the guest room. I'm hell-bent on getting an A on this exam, so I've been studying all week.

Prov. A grown person will act the way he or she was taught to act as a child. Alice's parents thought it was cute when she threw tantrums, and you'll notice that she still throws tantrums now that she's grown up. As the twig is bent, so is the tree inclined. Don't encourage your son to be so greedy. As the twig is bent, so is the tree inclined.

Fig. determined to do something. I believe you are bent on destroying the entire country. I am bent on saving the planet.

Inf. moving or behaving recklessly; riding a horse fast and recklessly. They took off after the horse thief, riding hell-bent for leather. Here comes the boss. She's not just angry; she's hell-bent for leather.

(somewhere or something) Fig. riding or drive somewhere very fast or recklessly. Fred sped along, hellbent for home, barely missing another car.

determined to do something He was bent on quitting that job even though he was making a lot of money.

very angry or upset My boss ignored my comments, but I don't feel that it's worth getting all bent out of shape over it.

to become very angry or upset It's ok, don't worry about returning the books. I don't get bent out of shape about things like that.

to be determined to do something, usually something that people think is wrong Local fans seemed hell-bent on causing as much trouble as possible during the match.

Also, bent upon. Determined, resolved, as in Jamie is bent on winning the math prize. This phrase, first recorded in 1762, always uses the past participle of the verb bend in the sense of "tend toward."

Moving recklessly fast, as in Out the door she went, hell-bent for leather. The use of hell-bent in the sense of "recklessly determined" dates from the first half of the 1800s. Leather alludes to a horse's saddle and to riding on horseback; this colloquial expression may be an American version of the earlier British army jargon hell for leather, first recorded in 1889.

Moving rapidly and with determination. “Hell” in this case strengthens the word “bent,” which means a direct route (although it sounds as though it should mean the opposite). “Leather” refers either to a saddle or to a whip used to urge a horse to move faster, or perhaps items. “Hell for leather” meaning “all deliberate haste” was a popular phrase in itself. Among a number of variants is “hell-bent for election,” said to have originated with the 1840 Maine gubernatorial race and appearing in an 1899 Stephen Crane story: “One puncher racin' his cow-pony hell-bent-for-election down Main Street.” Others are “hell-bent for breakfast,” “for Sunday,” and “for Georgia.”