seven bells

English

Noun

seven bells pl (plural only)

1. (slang) Said to be beaten, knocked, etc. out of a person who is severely violently assaulted.
   • 1909, Jack London, Mauki:

     If they told a boy they would knock seven bells out of him if he did a certain thing, when he did that thing, seven bells invariably were knocked out of him.

   • 2022, Paul Taylor, Death by Comfort:

     We beat seven bells out of each other, he broke my nose, I split open his eye, and I ended up winning on points.

Related terms

• seven shades