English

Proper noun

Devil

1. (theology) The chief devil; Satan.

Anagrams

• lived

English

Alternative forms

• divel (dialectal)
• devel, devell (obsolete)

Noun

devil ‎(plural devils)

1. (theology) A creature of ****.
2. (theology) (the devil or the Devil) The chief devil; Satan.
3. The bad part of the conscience; the opposite to the angel.
   • The devil in me wants to let him suffer.
4. 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.
5. A thing that is awkward or difficult to understand or do.
   • That math problem was a devil.
6. (euphemistically, with an article, as an intensifier) ****.
   • What in the devil is that? What the devil is that?
   • She is having a devil of a time fixing it.
   • You can go to the devil for all I care.
7. A person, especially a man; used to express a particular opinion of him, usually in the phrases poor devil and lucky devil.
8. A dust devil.
9. (religion, Christian Science) An evil or erring entity.
10. (dialectal, in compounds) A barren, unproductive and unused area.^[1][2]

    devil strip

11. (cooking) A dish, as a bone with the meat, broiled and excessively peppered; a grill with Cayenne pepper.
    • Sir Walter Scott

      Men and women busy in baking, broiling, roasting oysters, and preparing devils on the gridiron.

12. A machine for tearing or cutting rags, cotton, etc.
13. A Tasmanian devil.
    • 2008, Joyce L. Markovics, Tasmanian Devil: Nighttime Scavenger (page 8)

      The stories told by Harris and the other settlers only made people more afraid of the devils. In the 1800s, for example, workers at a wool company were scared that the devils would attack their sheep.

14. (cycling, slang) An endurance event where riders who fall behind are periodically eliminated.

Synonyms

• (a creature of ****): demon
• (the chief devil): Satan, Beelzebub, Mephistopheles, Old Nick, Old Scratch (UK & US), old-gooseberry, old gentleman
• (thing awkward or difficult to understand or do): bastard, bitch, bugger (UK), stinker
• (wicked or naughty person): imp, rascal, scamp, scoundrel
• (as a euphemistic intensifier): deuce (euphemistic), dickens (euphemistic), **** (only in senses with the; taboo slang), heck, ****
• (a person, especially a man (as in "poor devil")): bugger (UK), cow (used of a woman), sod (UK)

Antonyms

• (a creature of ****): angel, god
• (the chief devil): God
• (the bad part of the conscience): angel, conscience
• (thing awkward or difficult to understand): cakewalk (US), piece of cake, simplicity itself
• (wicked or naughty person): angel, saint

Derived terms

Related terms

• diabolo
• diablo

Translations

Verb

devil ‎(third-person singular simple present devils, present participle deviling or devilling, simple past and past participle deviled or devilled)

1. To make like a devil; to invest with the character of a devil.
2. To annoy or bother; to bedevil.
3. To work as a ‘devil’; to work for a lawyer or writer without fee or recognition.
   • 1978, Lawrence Durrell, Livia, Faber & Faber 1992 (Avignon Quintet), page 401:

     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.

4. To grill with cayenne pepper; to season highly in cooking, as with pepper.
5. To finely grind cooked ham or other meat with spices and condiments.
6. To prepare a sidedish of shelled halved boiled eggs to whose extracted yolks are added condiments and spices, which mixture then is placed into the halved whites to be served.
   • She's going to devil four dozen eggs for the picnic.

Usage notes

• UK usage doubles the l in the inflected forms "devilled" and "devilling"; US usage generally does not.

Synonyms

• (annoy or bother): annoy, bedevil, bother, irk, irritate, pester, trouble, peeve

Derived terms

• deviled egg, devilled egg
• deviled ham, devilled ham

Translations

See also

• angel
• demon
• enemy
• Lucifer
• Satan
• Ravana

References

1. ↑ Dictionary of Regional American English
2. ↑ Word Detective: Tales from the berm

Anagrams

• lived