folk devil
A person or type of person blamed by the public for various ills, as during a moral panic.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“The media turned the young man into a folk devil.”
“During the moral panic, the news outlets identified a local group as the folk devil responsible for all the town's problems.”
“Sociologists often observe how society constructs a folk devil to focus collective anxiety and justify harsh measures against a specific, marginalized group.”
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blue devils
Low spirits; depression.
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but seriously folks
Used to redirect attention to immediately preceding a failed attempt at humor.
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dance with the devil
To engage in risky and immoral behavior.
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devil dancing
Risky, reckless or potentially immoral behavior.
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devil in disguise
A person or thing that appears to be good, honest, or upstanding, but is inherently nasty, evil, or damaging.
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devil lies in the details
Synonym of devil is in the details.
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devil's advocate
One who debates from a viewpoint which one may not actually hold, usually to determine its validity or simply for the sake of argument.
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devil's luck
astounding good luck.
Last updated August 10, 2026