dev·il

/ˈdɛvl̩/ noun, pl -ils

1 a the Devil : the most powerful spirit of evil in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam who is often represented as the ruler of hell

He went to the Halloween party dressed up as the Devil. [=Satan]

1 b [count] : an evil spirit

an imaginary world haunted by ghosts and devils [=demons]

2 [count] informal

2 a : a person who does bad things or causes trouble usually in a way that is not too serious

She is a tricky devil, so be careful.

Those kids can be little devils sometimes.

2 b : a person (especially a man) who is lucky, unlucky, etc.

The poor devil [=poor guy] broke his leg on the first day of his skiing vacation.

He's such a lucky devil that he'll probably win the lottery someday.

3 the devil informal

— used to make a statement or question more forceful

What the devil are you talking about?

Where the devil have you been?

4 [singular] informal : something that is very difficult or that causes a lot of trouble

The shoes look great, but they're the devil to walk in. [=they are very difficult to walk in]

— usually used in the phrase a devil of

The new regulations have created a devil of a problem [=a very difficult problem] for many small businesses.

He had a devil of a time getting another job. [=he found it very difficult to get another job]

see also the devil to pay at ↑pay, 1

be a devil

Brit informal

— used to tell someone who is not sure about doing something to go ahead and do it

“I don't know if I should eat anything else.” “Oh, go on, be a devil, order dessert!”

better the devil you know than the devil you don't

— used to say that it is better to deal with a difficult person or situation you know than with a new person or situation that could be worse

between the devil and the deep blue sea

old-fashioned : in a situation that is difficult because you must choose between two unpleasant things

She felt caught between the devil and the deep blue sea. [=in a very bad situation]

go to the devil

informal

— used to forcefully and rudely tell someone to go away and leave you alone

She angrily told him to go to the devil. [=(more commonly) go to hell]

like the devil

informal

1 : very much

I'm sorry to hear about your injury. It must hurt like the devil.

2 : with a lot of energy and speed

He ran like the devil. [=he ran very fast]

speak/talk of the devil

informal

— used in speech to say that someone you have been talking about has unexpectedly appeared

“Well, speak of the devil! We were just talking about you!”