hell bent for...

[No Name Available]

I was asked today where the expression "hell bent for leather" came from. The
enquirer suggested that maybe "leather" came from "lather" and Partridge
suggests that this may be so in the entry for "hell for leather." It's not
in Wentworth and Flexner.And those are all I have in my office at the moment.

I've also heard "hell bent for election" and wonder if the two expressions
have got mixed together.

Any ideas will be gratefully received.

Barbara Harris

p.s. This all came about because we were talking about "tickety-boo," which I
hadn't heard for years except occasionally from others of my vintage, i.e.
pre-WWII babies (it's in both Partridge and W&F).