Hell's Kitchen
Definition
A gritty neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, historically notorious for crime, poverty, and Irish immigrant roots, now a trendy hotspot with theaters and tourists.
A high-stakes reality TV cooking competition hosted by Gordon Ramsay, where aspiring chefs endure verbal lashings and kitchen chaos to win a head chef position.
Informally, any frenzied, high-pressure environment resembling a battleground kitchen, full of heat, shouting, and potential disaster.
Examples
Surviving rush hour in Hell's Kitchen feels like dodging Gordon Ramsay's f-bombs while flipping burgers barefoot.
My attempt at Thanksgiving dinner turned our home into Hell's Kitchen—smoke alarms blaring, turkey charred, and relatives fleeing like eliminated contestants.
Hell's Kitchen was once a no-go zone after dark, but now it's where hipsters pay $20 for avocado toast amid the ghosts of old mobsters.
In the Hell's Kitchen finale, the last chef standing served a risotto so perfect, even Ramsay muttered 'not bad' instead of his usual tirade.