If Hell is filled with fire and brimstone, why do people say the phrase: "It's as cold as Hell'?

They must say that only when hell freezes over.
:)


This post was edited by WelbyQuentin at April 10, 2018 7:20 PM MDT

One person says that, YOU ;)

I have heard that it was because the original "hell" was taken from Norse mythology ... and it was cold.
I mean, if you come from a cold climate ... the worse nightmare is a place that's freezing cold and no warmth.

But when it was incorporated into Christianity, that didn't translate to a religion from a desert climate (MidEast) ... where cold would be a welcome escape from the oppressive heat.  So they made hell hot.  (which, y'know, seems like it would be welcome by those Nordic people - so maybe hell isn't really so much a threat to them.  LOL)

Beacuse sometimes hell freezes over. The hell of it is that it is always just after everyone have bought cool summer clothes

From the Internet (Quora):

According to Dante, the lowest circle in Hell is frozen over. Tibetan Buddhists also believe in a series of Hells, some of which are frozen over. But really, this is an idiom and it isn't entirely logical. The real meaning is: It's so damn cold, it's like Hell (as in, suffering).

I hear an explanation of all this:
- Old Norse hell was freezing cold decaus Scandinavia is at fairly high latitudes. There cold is the enemy.
- Israeli hell was hot because Israel is near the equator. There Heat is the enemy.
- Greek hell was very dry because Greece is rocky and have shallow topsoil (drains easy). There Lack of water was the enemy.

Israel is not really close to equator. It is near latitude +30 and is farther North than Miami, FL.

Everything you think you know about hell was made up by some itinerant preacher (the hot parts) or by an Italian poet named Dante Allighieri (the cold parts). According to the bible, hell is a hole is a grave. Nothing more.

Why is "as f*ck" the thing to say now? I find myself saying it, and thinking "why am I saying this??" F*ck isn't cold, tired, hungry, sick, etc., etc..

The only ones I can think that are applicable are hot and wet... and neither of those are even guaranteed. 

I'm going to make myself stop saying it. Makes no sense. 

Cold as hell
Cold as heck
Cold as blazes
Cold as Sin
Cold as < bad thing >

All the sentences above mean the same thing the "as < bad thing >" gives emhasis to the initial adjective: "Cold"

so "Very Cold" have the same meaning as all of them, but in a less shocking/interesting way.

This can be used with any adjective even though some adjectives seem to have a favorite < bad thing > that is most used. eg: "Ugly as Sin" or "Fast as blazes".
There are also a few < good thing > constructs like that. "Pretty as a picture"

Rather silly, but kinda fun. This post was edited by JakobA the unAmerican. at April 11, 2018 7:12 AM MDT

"Hell" is used as an intensive.  They say "it is hot as hell" as well.