The story
From to rake (out) hell (“to search through hell thoroughly”), in the sense of a person so evil or immoral that they cannot be found in hell even after an extensive search: see rake (“to search through (thoroughly)”). Compare rakeshame.
First known use, by meaning
- from 16th c. Immoral; dissolute.
- from 16th c. A lewd or wanton person; a debauchee; a rake.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.