| Origins |
Used in 19th century America by frontiersmen, especially when they needed to clean up their language in the presence of ladies.
First used in print in 1839; in America, Seattle Newspaper. Jim Hill, the legendary "empire builder", whose railroads, including the Great Northern, remained his last monument, was a man given to notable rages when anyone dared to oppose one of his grandiose schemes. So frequent were these tirades, that the paper carried as a standing headline: "Jim Hill is as mad as Sam Hill.." Other phrases include "go like Sam Hill" or "run like Sam Hill".
In reference to Col. Samuel Hill who perpetually ran for office in the late 19th Century. |
