like a bat out of hell

Idioms and Phrases

Moving extremely fast, as in She ran down the street like a bat out of hell . This expression presumably alludes to the rapid darting movement of bats and, Charles Earle Funk theorized, their avoidance of such light as might be cast by the fires of hell. [c. 1900] For a synonym, see like greased lightning .

Example Sentences

My wife shot out of the corner like a bat out of hell and leapt from her truck.

From Salon

And then when we put him on the lead — sometimes it’s a struggle to get them to move — he took to it like a bat out of hell.”

From Seattle Times

“I jumped in my car and drove like a bat out of hell … jumped in a helicopter and we were flying that day,” Johnson said, recalling risky flights over lava flows.

From Washington Times

“I drove like a bat out of hell,” he said.

From Washington Times

“I drove like a bat out of hell,” he said.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• agile
• brisk
• hot
• nimble
• quick
• rapid
• swift