Hell to pay Meaning in English

expression

US

ˈhɛɫ/ /ˈtu/, /tə/, /tɪ/ /ˈpeɪ

HEL tuh PAY

UK

hˈɛl/ /tˈuː/ /pˈeɪ

HEL too PAY

Definition

A warning that there will be serious trouble or punishment as a consequence of something.

Usage & Nuances

Informal, somewhat dramatic. Used to warn that someone will get in trouble soon, especially if a rule or promise is broken. Often follows 'there'll be' or 'there will be'.

• Spanish: gran problema - consecuencias graves
• Portuguese (BR): grande confusão - encrenca séria
• Portuguese (PT): grande sarilhos - confusão séria
• Chinese (Simplified): 大麻烦 - 严重后果
• Chinese (Traditional): 大麻煩 - 嚴重後果
• Hindi: बहुत बड़ी मुसीबत - भारी सज़ा
• Arabic: مشكلة كبيرة - عواقب وخيمة
• Bengali: ভয়ঙ্কর শাস্তি - বড় বিপদ (আসবে)
• Russian: разборка - серьёзные неприятности
• Japanese: 大変なことになる - ひどい目にあう
• Vietnamese: rắc rối lớn - bị phạt nặng
• Korean: 큰일 나다 - 심한 처벌이 있다
• Turkish: çok büyük sorun - başı belaya girmek
• Urdu: بری مصیبت - سخت سزا
• Indonesian: masalah besar - hukuman berat

Example Sentences

If you break the rules, there will be hell to pay.

basic

Mom will have hell to pay when she finds out.

basic

If they get caught cheating, there’ll be hell to pay.

basic

There’s going to be hell to pay if we miss that deadline.

natural

You forgot your dad’s birthday? Oh man, there’ll be hell to pay.

natural

If they find out we lied, there’s going to be hell to pay.

natural