hell-bent
adjective phrase

- to be extremely determined to do something, without considering the risks or possible dangerous results

The Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary

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WORD ORIGIN

"Hellbent” in the meaning “recklessly determined”, is evidenced from 1824.

As an adjective, “bent” can mean several different things such as “sharply curved or at an angle”, “dishonest, corrupt”, or in this case “determined to do or have something”.

“hell-bent” stems from the idea of someone who is determined enough to go to the gates of hell (figuratively of course) to obtain or achieve something.

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HELLISH IDIOMS

Used idiomatically, the word “hell” is a favourite intensifier of bad things — here a few examples:

- Hell no! =  No way; certainly not (What? Reduce our prices! Hell no!!)

- Hell bent for leather = to go somewhere very quickly—probably derived from a whip used to spur on a horse or from the saddle (He left the office hell bent for leather)

- all hell broke loose = a state of chaos ensued (All hell broke loose after they announced the staff layoffs)

- to catch hell, to give hell = to be scolded about something, to scold someone (He’s going to catch hell for delaying the product launch. Our CEO is going to give him hell for delaying the product launch)

- to have a snowball’s chance in hell = to have no chance at all of achieving something (He doesn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of getting that promotion)

- to go to hell in a hand basket = to be in an extremely bad state or condition (With all the politics going on, their country is going to hell in a hand basket)

- There’s hell to pay = to refer to big trouble (There will be hell to pay, if we don’t finish this project on time)

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SYNONYMS

- determined to achieve something at all costs

adamant, adamantine, ballsy, brick-wall, bulldog, bullheaded, can-do, cast-iron, certain, committed (to the idea of), dauntless, dead set (on), do-or-die, dogged, doughty, fanatical (about), fervent, fervid, four-square, free from doubt, full-blooded (-blown, -frontal, -on, -scale), go-getting, gutsy, hard-and-fast, hard as nails, hard-boiled (-bitten, -driving, -headed, -hearted, -hitting, -nosed), hardline, HELL-BENT (ON, UPON), indefatigable, indomitable, inexorable, insistent (about, on), intent on (upon), intrepid, inveterate, invincible, ironclad, iron-willed, irrepressible, lion-hearted, meaning business, never-failing, no-nonsense, obstinate, persistent, perseverant, persevering, pertinacious, pigheaded, purposeful, relentless, resolute (about), resolved (to), rock-ribbed (-solid), ruthless, self-assured (-confident, -driven, -motivated, -possessed, -reliant, -seeking, -starting, -willed), set (in stone, on), single-minded, stalwart, staunch, steadfast, steely, stout-hearted, strong-minded (-willed), tall in the saddle, tenacious, tireless, to the core, tough-minded, tough nut, true, true-blue (-hearted), unafraid, unapologetic, unashamed, unbending, unblenching, unbreakable, unchangeable, uncompromising, undaunted, undeterred, undeviating, undoubting, unflappable, unflagging, unhesitating, unyielding, unmovable, unrelenting, unshakeable, unshrinking, unswayable, unswerving, untiring, unwavering, unyielding, up front, valiant, venturesome, wholehearted, zealous

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SMUGGLE OWAD into an English conversation, say something like:

“We’re HELL-BENT on winning the business, we just need enough budget.”

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