what the hell

Shortened from earlier what in the hell.

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what the hell

1. (mildly vulgar, slang) An intensive form of what.
   • 2006 Oct. 1, Dennis Lehane, "Refugees", The Wire, 00:32:06:

     Wilson: He's right. They endorse Royce, fine, ’the hell else they gonna do? But what they say and don't say from the pulpit the Sunday before the primary we still got a dog in that fight.
     Carcetti: I do this right, they respect it.
     Wilson: An' if they don't, at least they get to see a beggin'-ass white man on his knees. Always a feel-good moment for the folks.

   What the hell is going on?

2. (mildly vulgar, slang) Indicating acceptance, indulgence, or insouciance: Why not? Who cares?

   It’s expensive, but what the hell, you only live once.

   Surprisingly, dieters ate more ice cream after eating a large milkshake than after eating a small one. Dr. Polivy calls this the “What the hell” effect, which she describes as thinking “What the hell, my diet’s already broken, so I might as well eat everything in sight.”

   • 1927, Don Marquis, "song of mehitabel," archy and mehitabel:

     i have had my ups and downs / but wotthehell wotthehell / yesterday sceptres and crowns / fried oysters and velvet gowns / and today i herd with bums / but wotthehell wotthehell

• Thought to be more vulgar in the US whilst less vulgar in the UK, Canada, and Australia.
• Although most intensive additions to question words (e.g. the hell, the fuck, on earth, etc.) are semantically interchangeable, most of them cannot replace what the hell in indicating acceptance, indulgence, or insouciance (sense 2 above). For example, what the fuck cannot usually have this meaning (but see sense 2 of what the fuck). However, what the heck can.

• Intensive form of what:
  • the hell
  • what the heck
  • what on earth
  • what the fuck
  • what the what
  • the fuck
• Indicating acceptance, indulgence, or insouciance:
  • what the hey
  • what the heck

• the hell

• See the hell

• the hell you say