devil
- 01 B1 Intermediate
n.the most powerful evil spirit in some religions, often shown with horns and a tail.
n.the supreme spirit of evil; the personification of a hostile and destructive force in various religious traditions.
Simple“In many old stories, the hero has to trick the devil to save his soul.”
In context“The folklore of the region is replete with tales of commoners outsmarting the devil at a crossroads to regain their lost fortunes.”
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a person, especially a child, who is very naughty or full of energy.
n.a person who is spirited, reckless, or mischievous; frequently applied to children in a lighthearted manner.
Simple“That little devil hid my car keys just for fun.”
In context“The boy is a total devil when his parents aren't watching, though he maintains a perfectly innocent facade in their presence.”
- 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a person you feel sorry for or who is very lucky, used in phrases like 'poor devil'.
n.a person, typically male, used to express a specific evaluation of their circumstances, usually appearing in fixed phrases.
Simple“The poor devil lost his job and his house in the same week.”
In context“He is a lucky devil to have survived that crash without a single scratch on him.”
- 04 C1 Advanced
n.something that is very hard to do or understand.
n.an object, task, or situation that is exceptionally awkward, troublesome, or difficult to manage.
Simple“This old car engine is a devil to start in the winter.”
In context“The final section of the exam was a real devil, requiring a level of technical knowledge that few students possessed.”
- 05 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to prepare food, like eggs or meat, with a lot of hot spices.
v.to prepare food with hot seasoning or spices, typically involving mustard, pepper, or cayenne.
Simple“She decided to devil the eggs for the summer picnic.”
In context“The chef chose to devil the kidneys, serving them on toast with a generous dusting of cayenne pepper for the breakfast menu.”
- 06 C2 Proficiency
v.to bother or annoy someone.
v.to harass, pester, or annoy someone persistently.
Simple“Stop devilling your sister and go outside to play.”
In context“He spent the entire afternoon devilling his colleagues with trivial questions, preventing any real work from being accomplished.”
“It seems there were a few reasons he got the boot, one of them being that old devil called results.”
“Caught between the sand dunes of Seaton Carew and the smoking chimneys of Hartlepool, this landscape was fertile ground for a young imagination alive to stories of witches and devils.”
See devil.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.