a coined expression meaning all over or everywhere. Historically, Halifax was (and is) a town in
north central England whose name came to be a euphemism for
hell in such phrases as "go to Halifax." Also, the name appears in an
old beggars' and vagabonds' "
prayer" that goes "From
Hull,
Hell and Halifax,
Good Lord,
deliver us." It is said that
Hull (a seaport in
England) was to be avoided because the beggars had little chance of getting anything there without doing
hard labor for it, and Halifax because anyone caught stealing cloth there was beheaded without further ado.