devils

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of devil.

   Medieval frescoes often depict devils tormenting the damned.

   The folk tale features a host of mischievous devils outwitted by a clever farmer.

   Note

   The plural is regular, just devil plus -s, and the same spelling doubles as the verb's present-tense form. In the plural the word most often names the creatures themselves or their horned, pitchforked cartoon image, but it also fits people: a pair of little devils is two mischievous children. The euphemism for Hell, as in "what the devil," stays singular and is not pluralized.

2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of devil.

   The cook devils the crab meat with a generous pinch of cayenne.

   Every holiday, my aunt devils a few dozen eggs for the family picnic.

   Note

   Here the -s marks a present-tense verb with a singular subject, and the verb leads more lives than the noun suggests. In the kitchen, a cook devils eggs or crab by seasoning them hot with cayenne. In law and writing, someone devils for a lawyer or author, doing the work without fee or credit, and that use takes no object. The bothering sense takes a person as its object.

   She devils for a busy barrister while she studies for the bar.

   The constant noise from upstairs devils her all evening.

Showing meanings only. Show all 2