Devil
['dev(ə)l] or ['dɛvl]
Definition
(noun.) a word used in exclamations of confusion; 'what the devil'; 'the deuce with it'; 'the dickens you say'.
(noun.) an evil supernatural being.
(verb.) coat or stuff with a spicy paste; 'devilled eggs'.
Editor: Marilyn--From WordNet
Definition
(n.) The Evil One; Satan, represented as the tempter and spiritual of mankind.
(n.) An evil spirit; a demon.
(n.) A very wicked person; hence, any great evil.
(n.) An expletive of surprise, vexation, or emphasis, or, ironically, of negation.
(n.) A dish, as a bone with the meat, broiled and excessively peppered; a grill with Cayenne pepper.
(n.) A machine for tearing or cutting rags, cotton, etc.
(v. t.) To make like a devil; to invest with the character of a devil.
(v. t.) To grill with Cayenne pepper; to season highly in cooking, as with pepper.
Checker: Rene
Synonyms and Synonymous
n. [1]. Satan, Lucifer, Belial, Apollyon, arch-fiend, arch-enemy, the tempter. Deuce, the evil one, the man of sin, the wicked one, the old serpent, the prince of darkness, the foul fiend, the Enemy, the Adversary.[2]. Demon, evil spirit.
Checked by Edmond
Synonyms and Antonyms
SYN:Satan, lucifer, fiend, archfiend, foul_fiend, demon
ANT:Archangel, angel, seraph, cherub
Typist: Zamenhof
Definition
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 asafœtida; 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.
v.t. (cook.) to season highly and broil.—v.i. to perform another man's drudgery (esp. to devil for a barrister).
Typist: Winfred
Unserious Contents or Definition
For farmers to dream of the devil, denotes blasted crops and death among stock, also family sickness. Sporting people should heed this dream as a warning to be careful of their affairs, as they are likely to venture beyond the laws of their State. For a preacher, this dream is undeniable proof that he is over-zealous, and should forebear worshiping God by tongue-lashing his neighbor. To dream of the devil as being a large, imposingly dressed person, wearing many sparkling jewels on his body and hands, trying to persuade you to enter his abode, warns you that unscrupulous persons are seeking your ruin by the most ingenious flattery. Young and innocent women, should seek the stronghold of friends after this dream, and avoid strange attentions, especially from married men. Women of low character, are likely to be robbed of jewels and money by seeming strangers. Beware of associating with the devil, even in dreams. He is always the forerunner of despair. If you dream of being pursued by his majesty, you will fall into snares set for you by enemies in the guise of friends. To a lover, this denotes that he will be won away from his allegiance by a wanton.
Editor: Wilma
Unserious Contents or Definition
An old rascal mentioned in the Bible, now reported engaged to Mary McLane.
Typist: Ruben
Examples
- We should be rich men if we had 1000 pounds for every poor devil who has been done to death in that den. Arthur Conan Doyle. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
- Keep still, you little devil, or I'll cut your throat! Charles Dickens. Great Expectations.
- Talk of the devil, said Alvanly, as Julia and Sophia entered the room. Harriette Wilson. The Memoirs of Harriette Wilson.
- I vowed to myself I would see them all to the devil. D. H. Lawrence. Women in Love .
- Bring out some of the gold you sold yourself to the devil for. Charles Dickens. David Copperfield.
- Poor devil, he's expelled the house! Charles Dickens. The Pickwick Papers.
- For this seems to me nothing but the resuscitation of the devil: when things go wrong it is somebody else's fault. Walter Lippmann. A Preface to Politics.
- Cold and glittering devils! Charles Dickens. Bleak House.
- Before I knew it the air was black with fliers, and a hundred of these First Born devils were leaping to the ground all about me. Edgar Rice Burroughs. The Gods of Mars.
- Many rich people, whom we poor devils are in the habit of envying, lead contentedly an existence like that above described. William Makepeace Thackeray. Vanity Fair.
- Devils gathered their legions in his sight; their dim, discrowned, and tarnished armies passed rank and file before him. Charlotte Bronte. Shirley.
- The miserable poor devils knew all about his affairs. William Makepeace Thackeray. Vanity Fair.
- As I reached their side a glance showed me that all but a very few eggs had hatched, the incubator being fairly alive with the hideous little devils. Edgar Rice Burroughs. A Princess of Mars.
- If I had the little devils! Harriet Beecher Stowe. Uncle Tom's Cabin.
- Some devilled kidneys and a herring--let's say. William Makepeace Thackeray. Vanity Fair.
- In general, he was particular and dainty enough, and knew well each shade of flavour in his food, but now the devilled chicken tasted like sawdust. Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell. North and South.
Edited by Ethelred