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devil
[ dev-uhl ]
noun
- Theology.
- (sometimes initial capital letter) the supreme spirit of evil; Satan.
- a subordinate evil spirit at enmity with God, and having power to afflict humans both with bodily disease and with spiritual corruption.
- an atrociously wicked, cruel, or ill-tempered person.
- a person who is very clever, energetic, reckless, or mischievous.
- a person, usually one in unfortunate or pitiable circumstances:
The poor devil kept losing jobs through no fault of his own.
- Also called printer's devil. Printing. a young worker below the level of apprentice in a printing office.
- any of various mechanical devices, as a machine for tearing rags, a machine for manufacturing wooden screws, etc.
- Nautical. (in deck or hull planking) any of various seams difficult to caulk because of form or position.
- any of various portable furnaces or braziers used in construction and foundry work.
- the devil, (used as an emphatic expletive or mild oath to express disgust, anger, astonishment, negation, etc.):
the devil do you mean by that?
verb (used with object)
- to annoy; harass; pester:
to devil Mom and Dad for a new car.
- to tear (rags, cloth, etc.) with a devil.
- Cooking. to prepare (food, usually minced) with hot or savory seasoning:
to devil eggs.
devil
/ ˈɛə /
noun
- theol often capital the chief spirit of evil and enemy of God, often represented as the ruler of hell and often depicted as a human figure with horns, cloven hoofs, and tail
- theol one of the subordinate evil spirits of traditional Jewish and Christian belief
- a person or animal regarded as cruel, wicked, or ill-natured
- a person or animal regarded as unfortunate or wretched
that poor devil was ill for months
- a person or animal regarded as clever, daring, mischievous, or energetic
- informal.something difficult or annoying
- Christian Science the opposite of truth; an error, lie, or false belief in sin, sickness, and death
- (in Malaysia) a ghost
- a portable furnace or brazier, esp one used in road-making or one used by plumbers Compare salamander
- any of various mechanical devices, usually with teeth, such as a machine for making wooden screws or a rag-tearing machine
- See printer's devil
- law (in England) a junior barrister who does work for another in order to gain experience, usually for a half fee
- meteorol a small whirlwind in arid areas that raises dust or sand in a column
- between the devil and the deep blue seabetween equally undesirable alternatives
- devil of informal.(intensifier)
a devil of a fine horse
- give the devil his dueto acknowledge the talent or the success of an opponent or unpleasant person
- go to the devil
- to fail or become dissipated
- interjection used to express annoyance with the person causing it
- like the devilwith great speed, determination, etc
- play the devil with informal.to make much worse; upset considerably
the damp plays the devil with my rheumatism
- raise the devil
- to cause a commotion
- to make a great protest
- talk of the devil! or speak of the devil!interjection used when an absent person who has been the subject of conversation appears
- the devil!intensifier:
- used in such phrases as what the devil, where the devil, etc
- an exclamation of anger, surprise, disgust, etc
- the devil's owna very difficult or problematic (thing)
- the devil take the hindmost or let the devil take the hindmostlook after oneself and leave others to their fate
- the devil to payproblems or trouble to be faced as a consequence of an action
- the very devilsomething very difficult or awkward
verb
- tr to prepare (esp meat, poultry, or fish) by coating with a highly flavoured spiced paste or mixture of condiments before cooking
- tr to tear (rags) with a devil
- intr to serve as a printer's devil
- intr to do hackwork, esp for a lawyer or author; perform arduous tasks, often without pay or recognition of one's services
- informal.tr to harass, vex, torment, etc
Other Word Forms
- dzܳdi verb (used with object) outdeviled outdeviling or (especially British) outdevilled outdevilling
- ܲ·i noun
- ܲd·i noun
Word History and Origins
Word History and Origins
Origin of devil1
Idioms and Phrases
- between the devil and the deep (blue) sea, between two undesirable alternatives; in an unpleasant dilemma.
- devil of a, extremely difficult or annoying; hellish:
I had a devil of a time getting home through the snow.
- give the devil his due, to give deserved credit even to a person one dislikes:
To give the devil his due, you must admit that she is an excellent psychologist.
- go to the devil,
- to fail completely; lose all hope or chance of succeeding.
- to become depraved.
- (an expletive expressing annoyance, disgust, impatience, etc.)
- let the devil take the hindmost, to leave the least able or fortunate persons to suffer adverse consequences; leave behind or to one's fate:
They ran from the pursuing mob and let the devil take the hindmost.
- play the devil with, to ruin completely; spoil:
The financial crisis played the devil with our investment plans.
- raise the devil,
- to cause a commotion or disturbance.
- to celebrate wildly; revel.
- to make an emphatic protest or take drastic measures.
- the devil to pay, trouble to be faced; mischief in the offing:
If conditions don't improve, there will be the devil to pay.
More idioms and phrases containing devil
- between a rock and a hard place (devil and deep blue sea)
- full of it (the devil)
- give someone hell (the devil)
- give the devil his due
- go to hell (the devil)
- luck of the devil
- play the devil with
- raise Cain (the devil)
- speak of the devil
Example Sentences
“I cannot accept this number. If you accept that number, you sell your soul to the devil,” Walter Slonopas, 52, who was a maintenance worker at Contech Casting told ABC News.
“You keep dancing with the devil, one day he’s going to follow you home,” his father cautions a few minutes into the film.
I had attended a Fishwife pop-up in Manhattan, where I feasted on deviled eggs with smoked rainbow trout, butter & anchovy toast, salmon seaweed snacks and caviar bumps.
Adam Devine has had a devil of a time the last few years with doctors trying to figure out why some of his muscles have been going into almost-paralytic spasms.
Bacon is having a devil of a good time playing him.
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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