Defn: 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.)
Defn: A machine for tearing or cutting rags, cotton, etc. Blue devils. See under Blue. — Cartesian devil. See under Cartesian. — Devil bird (Zoöl.), 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. (Zoöl.) (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. (Zoöl.) See under Darn, v. t. — Devil's fingers, Devil's hand (Zoöl.), the common British starfish (Asterias rubens); — also applied to a sponge with stout branches. [Prov. Eng., Irish & Scot.] — Devil's riding-horse (Zoöl.), 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 (Zoöl.), a very savage carnivorous marsupial of Tasmania (Dasyurus, or Diabolus, ursinus). — To play devil with, to molest extremely; to ruin. [Low]
DEVIL
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.
DEVIL-DIVER; DEVIL BIRD
Dev"il-div`er, Dev"il bird` (, n.. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A small water bird. See Dabchick.
DEVILESS
Dev"il*ess, n.
Defn: A she-devil. [R.] Sterne.