DEVIL
\dˈɛvə͡l], \dˈɛvəl], \d_ˈɛ_v_əl]\
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dev'l, v.t. (cook.) to season highly and broil.--v.i. to perform another man's drudgery (esp. to devil for a barrister).
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dev'l, n. the supreme spirit of evil, Satan: any evil spirit: a false god: a very wicked person: a fellow, as in 'Poor devil:' an expletive, in 'What the devil,' &c.--ns. DEV'ILDOM; DEV'ILESS; DEV'ILET; DEV'IL-FISH, a name for the fishing-frog or angler, for the giant-ray of the United States, and for other large and ugly fishes; DEV'IL-IN-THE-BUSH, a garden flower, also called Love-in-a-mist.--adj. DEV'ILISH, fiendish, malignant.--adv. (coll.) very: exceedingly.--adv. DEV'ILISHLY.--ns. DEV'ILISM; DEV'ILKIN.--adj. DEV'IL-MAY-CARE, reckless, audacious.--ns. DEV'ILMENT; DEV'IL-ON-THE-NECK, an old instrument of torture; DEV'ILRY; DEV'ILSHIP; DEV'ILTRY; DEV'IL-WOR'SHIP, the worship of the devil, or of devils; DEV'IL-WOR'SHIPPER.--DEVIL A BIT, not at all; DEVIL OF A MESS, a very bad mess.--DEVIL'S ADVOCATE, a name given to the Promoter of the Faith, an advocate at the papal court, whose duty it is to propose all reasonable objections against a person's claims to canonisation; DEVIL'S BIT, a popular name for scabious; DEVIL'S BOOKS, playing-cards; DEVIL'S COACH-HORSE, a large dark-coloured beetle; DEVIL'S DOZEN, thirteen (like baker's dozen); DEVIL'S DUNG, a popular name for asafoetida; DEVIL'S DUST, shoddy made by a machine called the devil; DEVIL'S OWN, a name given to the 88th Regiment in the Peninsular war, as also to the Inns of Court volunteers; DEVIL'S SNUFF-BOX, the puff-ball, a kind of fungus; DEVIL'S TATTOO (see TATTOO); DEVIL TO PAY, serious trouble ahead--said to be from the difficulty of paying, or caulking, an awkward and inaccessible seam in a ship.--CARTESIAN DEVIL (see CARTESIAN); PRINTER'S DEVIL, the youngest apprentice in a printing-office: a printer's errand-boy; TASMANIAN DEVIL, the ursine dasyure, a Tasmanian carnivore.--PLAY THE DEVIL WITH, to bring to utter ruin. [A.S. deóful, deófol--L. diabolus--Gr. diabolos, from diaballein, to throw across, to slander, from dia, across, and ballein, to throw; cf. Ger. teufel, Fr. diable, It. diavolo, Sp. diablo.]
By Thomas Davidson
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The D., supreme spirit of evil, tempter of mankind, enemy of God, Satan; heathen god; evil spirit possessing demoniac; superhuman malignant being; wicked or cruel person; mischievously energetic, clever, knavish, or self-willed person, luckless or wretched person (usu. poor d.); vicious animal; junior legal counsel working for a leader (Attorney-General\'s d., junior Counsel to Treasury); literary hack doing what his employer takes the credit and pay for; printer\'s d., errand-boy in printing-office; personified evil quality (the d. of greed &c.); fighting-spirit, energy or dash in attack; (name of) kinds of animal, bird, firework, & implement; highly seasoned dish, esp. devilled bones. Phrases (see also those in DEUCE, in all of which d. may be substituted): a d. of a, one of an unwelcome or remarkable or amusing kind; - is the d., a great difficulty or nuisance; like the d., with great energy &c.; go to the d., be ruined, (imperat.) be off; the d.!, excl. of annoyance or surprise; d. a one, not one; the d. & all, everything bad; between the d. & the deep sea, in a dilemma; give the d. his DUE; the d. to pay, trouble ahead; talk of the d. (& he will appear), said when one comes just after being mentioned; the d. among the tailors, row, disturbance; d. on two sticks, older name for DIABOLO; d.\'s advocate, -acy, (one who puts) the d.\'s case against canonization, (transf.) depreciator, depreciation; d.\'s bedpost, four of clubs; d.\'s bones, dice; d.\'s books, cards; D.\'s Own, 88th Foot, Inns of Court Volunteers; d.\'s TATTOO; devil\'s in many plant-names, esp. d.\'s- bit, kind of scabious; d.\'s coach-horse, large cocktail beetle; d.\'s dust, shoddy. D.-dodger, preacher, parson; d.-fish, name of many kinds; d.- may-care, reckless, rollicking. Hence devildom, devilhood, nn., devilward (s) adv. [old English]
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Work as lawyer\'s or author\'s d. (usu. for principal); grill with hot condiments.
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dd.-on-horseback, see angel; d. take the hindmost, every man must take care of himself (in flight, competition, &c.).
By Sir Augustus Henry
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(Naut.) The seam next to the waterways. D. to pay, and no pitch hot (Naut.) = the troublesome water-seam to fill in with pitch, and none ready ; a troublesome job, and no one ready to undertake it. [D., a nickname for the water-seam ; pay being the O.Fr. empoier, to daub with pitch.]
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See Pay.
By Henry Percy Smith
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n. [Anglo-Saxon] An evil spirit; a fallen angel; Satan, the tempter and accuser of men; the father of lies; the spirit or principle of evil;—any evil spirit; a demon; an idol or false god;—a wicked person; a passionate temper or disposition;—a piece of flesh highly spiced and broiled;—a revolving cylinder armed with spikes or knives, for tearing, cutting, or opening cotton, wool, rags, &c.
Word of the day
international pitch
- the pitch used to tune instruments for concert performances; usually assigns 440 Hz A above middle C