Sekirov Dictionary

devil

/ˈdɛvəl/

noun 19
verb 8
forms 5
phrases 8

noun19

An evil creature, the objectification of a hostile and destructive force.
the chief of all evil spirits
The chief devil; Satan.
A man with red or orange skin and a pair of horns on his head, a pointed goatee, and a long tail, who carries a pitchfork, represents evil, and is portrayed to children as a boogeyman who punishes bad behavior.
(India) A poltergeist that haunts printing works.
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A wicked or naughty person, or one who harbors reckless, spirited energy, especially in a mischievous way; usually said of a young child.
- Those two kids are devils in a toy store.
A person, especially a man; used to express a particular opinion of him, usually in the phrases poor devil and lucky devil.
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(euphemistic) Hell.
- What in the devil is that?
- What the devil is that?
•
A thing that is awkward or difficult to understand or do.
- That math problem was a devil.
•
The bad part of the conscience; the opposite to the angel.
- The devil in me wants to let him suffer.
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A Tasmanian devil.
- He removes his food, water, and torch from the pack and then pushes it to the far end of the tent – no devil is going to rip his pack apart tonight. — 1999
•
A dust devil.
- There are few sights more appalling than a sandstorm in the desert, the "Zauba'ah" as the Arabs call it. Devils, or pillars of sand, vertical and inclined, measuring a thousand feet high[.] — 1885
•
A printer's assistant.
- For he will not leave his listener to dwell upon sorrow when the print office beckons and he can show you what a good little devil he became. — 2010
(UK, Australia) A lawyer’s assistant.
•
A dish, as a bone with the meat, broiled and excessively peppered; a grill with Cayenne pepper.
- Men and women busy in baking, broiling, roasting oysters, and preparing devils on the gridiron. — 1815
[in compounds] (dialect) A barren, unproductive and unused area.
(slang) An endurance event where riders who fall behind are periodically eliminated.
A machine for tearing or cutting rags, cotton, etc., as used in the production of mungo or shoddy.
Ellipsis of devil seam (“the seam between garboard strake and the keel, on wooden boats”).

verb8

To prepare (food) with spices, making it spicy
To finely grind (cooked ham or other meat) with spices and condiments.
•
To prepare (shelled halved boiled eggs, as a sidedish) by removing the yolks, adding condiments and spices to them, and placing that mixture back into (the halved eggs' whites) to be served.
- She's going to devil four dozen eggs for the picnic.
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To work as a ‘devil’; to work for a lawyer or writer without fee or recognition.
- He did not repeat the scathing estimate of her character by Quatrefages, who at that time spent one afternoon a week devilling at the Consulate, keeping the petty-cash box in order. — 1978
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To ghostwrite; to author while working as a ‘devil’.
- Didn't secretaries write the speeches of Parliamentary "big-bugs"? Weren't the opinions of eminent lawyers often written by their juniors, read over and signed? Weren't briefs and pleadings devilled? — 1922
To annoy or bother.
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To shred fabric into its fibres for recycling, as in the production of mungo or shoddy.
- Tailors' clippings and remnants of fine woollen goods, such as broadcloth, etc., are devilled and spun into yarn for making cloth of nicer quality, called mungo. — 1918
To make like a devil; to invest with the character of a devil.

forms

deviled · devilled · deviling · devilling · devils

Phrases with devil

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