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To hell in a handbasket
 
 
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"Going to Hell in a handbasket" or "Going to hell in a handcart" is an English alliterative
Alliteration

Alliteration is the repeated occurrence of a consonant sound at the beginning of several words in the same phrase. Consonance is the repetition of the same consonant sound anywhere in a string of words, not just the initial sound as is in alliteration....
 phrase of unclear origin, which describes a situation headed for disaster without effort or in great haste.

There are similar phrases going back over 400 years, such as to "Heaven in a wheelbarrow". There has been some speculation that the phrases may be related, with "to Hell in a handbasket" perhaps being a mocking reference to the Guillotine
Guillotine

The guillotine consists of a tall upright frame from which a long, smooth, heavy blade is suspended. This blade is raised with a rope and then allowed to drop, severing the victim's head from his or her body....
 which often used a lined basket to catch the severed head.

Its first use recorded in the Oxford English Dictionary is in a historical work of 1865 by I.






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"Going to Hell in a handbasket" or "Going to hell in a handcart" is an English alliterative
Alliteration

Alliteration is the repeated occurrence of a consonant sound at the beginning of several words in the same phrase. Consonance is the repetition of the same consonant sound anywhere in a string of words, not just the initial sound as is in alliteration....
 phrase of unclear origin, which describes a situation headed for disaster without effort or in great haste.

There are similar phrases going back over 400 years, such as to "Heaven in a wheelbarrow". There has been some speculation that the phrases may be related, with "to Hell in a handbasket" perhaps being a mocking reference to the Guillotine
Guillotine

The guillotine consists of a tall upright frame from which a long, smooth, heavy blade is suspended. This blade is raised with a rope and then allowed to drop, severing the victim's head from his or her body....
 which often used a lined basket to catch the severed head.

Its first use recorded in the Oxford English Dictionary is in a historical work of 1865 by I. Windslow Ayer entitled The Great North-Western Conspiracy in All Its Startling Details, with the quote: "Thousands of our best men were prisoners in Camp Douglas, and if once at liberty would ‘send abolitionists to hell in a hand basket.'"

It has also appeared in the title of several published works and other media:
  • "To Hell in a Handbasket" is the name of humorist H. Allen Smith's 1962 autobiography.
  • "" was the title of a 1998 Star Trek comic book.
  • is the title of a 2006 book (ISBN 1585424587) by American counterculture
    Counterculture

    Counterculture is a Sociology term used to describe the values and norms of behavior of a cultural group, or subculture, that run counter to those of the social mainstream of the day, the cultural equivalent of political opposition....
     cartoonist Tom Tomorrow
    Tom Tomorrow

    "Dan Perkins" redirects here. For the baseball player, see Dan Perkins .Tom Tomorrow is the pen name of editorial cartoonist Dan Perkins ....
    , who authors a nationally syndicated cartoon strip This Modern World.
  • "Hell in a handbasket" was the name of an undescribed con
    Confidence trick

    A confidence trick or confidence game is an attempt to defraud a person or group by gaining their confidence....
     requiring a trained cat referenced in the 2004 film, Ocean's Twelve
    Ocean's Twelve

    Ocean's Twelve is a 2004 in film heist film that takes place after the events of Ocean's Eleven which was a remake of the Ocean's Eleven ....
    .


Often heard quoted in the midwest circa 1940s, according to Rieta Collins.

2008 Left 4 Dead
Left 4 Dead

Left 4 Dead is a Cooperative gameplay survival horror first-person shooter video game. It was developed by Turtle Rock Studios, which was purchased by the Valve Corporation part-way into development....
 - Computer game by Valve Corporation
Valve Corporation

Valve Corporation is an United States video game developer company based in Bellevue, Washington, USA that was founded in 1996, and made famous by its first product, Half-Life , which was released in November 1998....
 - Bill, one of the main characters can be heard saying "This is going to hell in a handbasket."