Hell for Leather

[newlywed]

Where did the above come from?

[Quizmonster]

The earliest recorded use of these words was in a story by Rudyard Kipling, published in the 1890s. The reference was to horse-riding and referred presumably to the punishment taken by the saddle, reins etc when travelling at breakneck speed.

[VS Prasad]

Hell for leather is a statement that is often confused with "Hell bent for leather". Hell for leather, in American vernacular, refers to an arduous walk that may have been strewn with difficulties and was a strain on footwear. A long and difficult walk, such as over rough terrain, might be referred to as hell for leather because of the abuse the leather footwear sustained during the walk. "Hell bent for leather" has many uses and the most popular american use goes back to the 19th century american west when a particular livestock animal, such as a cow, bull or horse would be particularly difficult to handle.

http://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/39/me ssages/467.html

in a hell-for-leather manner : at full speed <rode hell-for-leather down the trail>

http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dic tionary&va=hell-for-leather

extremely quickly: extremely quickly and often recklessly ( informal )

http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/features/diction ary/DictionaryResults.aspx?refid=1861691715
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term =Hell+for+Leather

Informal At breakneck speed: �The journey back he made along the coast road, traveling hell-for-leather� (Idival Jones).

http://www.bartleby.com/61/52/H0135200.html

characterized by reckless determination:
The sheriff led the posse in a h

[newlywed]

Thank you both for your replies :-)