heck



one heck of a (something or someone)

1. An exceptionally good, exciting, or interesting thing or person. Marty sure is one heck of a guy, always willing to lend his friends a hand! Two cars for the price of one? That's one heck of a deal!
2. An exceptionally bad or difficult thing, activity, or person. This is one heck of a math assignment—I can't understand the first thing about it! Boy, that is one heck of a haircut. You're going to go out in public like that?
See also: heck, of, one

heck of a

1. Quite good or impressive. That was one heck of a party you threw for Kelly. Everyone said they had such a great time. He's a heck of a ballplayer. I wouldn't be surprised if he made it to the pros someday.
2. Very difficult. I had a heck of a time trying to change the flat tire. The lug nuts didn't want to budge.
See also: heck, of

heck of a lot of

Quite a large amount of. My car has been costing me a heck of a lot of money in repairs lately. It might be time to get a new one.
See also: heck, lot, of

for the devil of it

 and for the heck of it; for the hell of it
because it is slightly evil; for no good reason. (Use caution with hell.) The kids broke the window just for the devil of it. We just drove over for the heck of it.
See also: devil, of

What the heck!

Inf. It doesn't matter! (Often with the force of an exclamation.) Oh, what the heck! Come on in. It doesn't matter. Oh, what the heck! I'll have another beer. Nobody's counting.

a heck of a somebody/something

a surprisingly good person or thing a hell of a somebody/something It's a heck of a deal from a business standpoint. He's a great teacher, and besides that, he's a heck of a nice guy.
See also: heck, of

a heck of a something

a very difficult activity or bad thing a hell of a something We have a heck of a time putting the day's news into a half-hour program. That was a heck of a present – why would anyone think you wanted such an ugly painting?
See also: heck, of

a heck of a lot of something

a large amount of something a hell of a lot of something You've spent a heck of a lot of money on that thing.
See also: heck, lot, of

(just) for the heck of it

(spoken)
without having any particular reason or purpose (just) for the hell of it Let me explain this another way, just for the heck of it.
See also: heck, of

(just) for the hell of it

(spoken)
without having any particular reason or purpose (just) for the heck of it Just for the hell of it, I bought tickets to tonight's concert.
See also: hell, of

(just) for the heck of it

  (American & Australian)
if you do something for the heck of it, you do it only because you want to or because you think it is funny They spent the afternoon phoning different numbers and talking to strangers - just for the heck of it.
See also: heck, of

(just) for the hell of it

  (informal)
if you do something for the hell of it, you do it only because you want to, or because you think it is funny I decided to dye my hair bright green, just for the hell of it.
See also: hell, of

for the hell of it

Also, for the heck of it; just for the hell of it. For no particular reason; on a whim. For example, We drove by the old place just for the hell of it. In the first variant, heck is a euphemism for hell. [First half of 1900s] Also see for fun, def. 2.
See also: hell, of

for the devil of it

and for the heck of it and for the hell of it
mod. because it is slightly evil; for no good reason. (Use caution with hell.) The kids broke the window just for the devil of it. I painted the garage blue, just for the heck of it.
See also: devil, of

for the heck of it

verb
See also: heck, of

for the hell of it

verb
See also: hell, of

What the heck!

exclam. It doesn’t matter! (Often with the force of an exclamation.) Oh, what the heck! Come on in. It doesn’t matter.

for the hell of it

For no particular reason; on a whim: walked home by the old school for the hell of it.
See also: hell, of

Common Names:

NameGenderPronouncedUsage
Mcdermott[mək'dɜ:mət]
LiÊN-Vietnamese
Jadran-Croatian, Serbian, Slovene
LupeLOO-peSpanish
Chanokh-Biblical Hebrew
Timour-History