DEVILING
Etymology 1
Verb
deviling
present participle of devil
Etymology 2
Noun
deviling (plural devilings)
(obsolete) A young devil.
Source: Wiktionary
Dev"il*ing, n.
Definition: A young devil. [Obs.] Beau. & Fl.
DEVIL
Dev"il, n. Etym: [AS. deĆ³fol, deĆ³ful; akin to G. , Goth. diabaĆŗlus;
all fr. L. diabolus the devil, Gr. gal to fall. Cf. Diabolic.]
1. The Evil One; Satan, represented as the tempter and spiritual of
mankind.
[Jesus] being forty days tempted of the devil. Luke iv. 2.
That old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the
whole world. Rev. xii. 9.
2. An evil spirit; a demon.
A dumb man possessed with a devil. Matt. ix. 32.
3. A very wicked person; hence, any great evil. "That devil
Glendower." "The devil drunkenness." Shak.
Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil John vi. 70.
4. An expletive of surprise, vexation, or emphasis, or, ironically,
of negation. [Low]
The devil a puritan that he is, . . . but a timepleaser. Shak.
The things, we know, are neither rich nor rare, But wonder how the
devil they got there. Pope.
5. (Cookery)
Definition: 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. Sir W. Scott.
6. (Manuf.)
Definition: A machine for tearing or cutting rags, cotton, etc. Blue
devils. See under Blue.
– Cartesian devil. See under Cartesian.
– Devil bird (Zoƶl.), one of two or more South African drongo
shrikes (Edolius retifer, and E. remifer), believed by the natives to
be connected with sorcery.
– Devil may care, reckless, defiant of authority; -- used
adjectively. Longfellow.
– Devil's apron (Bot.), the large kelp (Laminaria saccharina, and
L. longicruris) of the Atlantic ocean, having a blackish, leathery
expansion, shaped somewhat like an apron.
– Devil's coachhorse. (Zoƶl.) (a) The black rove beetle (Ocypus
olens). [Eng.] (b) A large, predacious, hemipterous insect (Prionotus
cristatus); the wheel bug. [U.S.] -- Devil's darning-needle. (Zoƶl.)
See under Darn, v. t.
– Devil's fingers, Devil's hand (Zoƶl.), the common British
starfish (Asterias rubens); -- also applied to a sponge with stout
branches. [Prov. Eng., Irish & Scot.] -- Devil's riding-horse
(Zoƶl.), the American mantis (Mantis Carolina).
– The Devil's tattoo, a drumming with the fingers or feet. "Jack
played the Devil's tattoo on the door with his boot heels." F.
Hardman (Blackw. Mag.).
– Devil worship, worship of the power of evil; -- still practiced
by barbarians who believe that the good and evil forces of nature are
of equal power.
– Printer's devil, the youngest apprentice in a printing office,
who runs on errands, does dirty work (as washing the ink rollers and
sweeping), etc. "Without fearing the printer's devil or the sheriff's
officer." Macaulay.
– Tasmanian devil (Zoƶl.), a very savage carnivorous marsupial of
Tasmania (Dasyurus, or Diabolus, ursinus).
– To play devil with, to molest extremely; to ruin. [Low]
Dev"il, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Deviled or Devilled; p. pr. & vb. n.
Deviling or Devilling.]
1. To make like a devil; to invest with the character of a devil.
2. To grill with Cayenne pepper; to season highly in cooking, as with
pepper.
A deviled leg of turkey. W. Irving.
deviled egg a hard-boiled egg, sliced into halves and with the yolk
removed and replaced with a paste, usually made from the yolk and
mayonnaise, seasoned with salt and/or spices such as paprika.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition