Found 1 items, similar to Devil may care.
English → English (gcide) Definition: Devil may care Devil \Dev"il\, n. [AS. de['o]fol, de['o]ful; akin to G. ?eufel, Goth. diaba['u]lus; all fr. L. diabolus the devil, Gr. ? the devil, the slanderer, fr. ? to slander, calumniate, orig., to throw across; ? across + ? to throw, let fall, fall; cf. Skr. gal to fall. Cf. Diabolic.] 1. The Evil One; Satan, represented as the tempter and spiritual of mankind. [1913 Webster] [Jesus] being forty days tempted of the devil. --Luke iv. 2. [1913 Webster] That old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world. --Rev. xii. 9. [1913 Webster] 2. An evil spirit; a demon. [1913 Webster] A dumb man possessed with a devil. --Matt. ix. 32. [1913 Webster] 3. A very wicked person; hence, any great evil. “That devil Glendower.” “The devil drunkenness.” --Shak. [1913 Webster] Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil? --John vi. 70. [1913 Webster] 4. An expletive of surprise, vexation, or emphasis, or, ironically, of negation. [Low] [1913 Webster] The devil a puritan that he is, . . . but a timepleaser. --Shak. [1913 Webster] The things, we know, are neither rich nor rare, But wonder how the devil they got there. --Pope. [1913 Webster] 5. (Cookery) A dish, as a bone with the meat, broiled and excessively peppered; a grill with Cayenne pepper. [1913 Webster] Men and women busy in baking, broiling, roasting oysters, and preparing devils on the gridiron. --Sir W. Scott. [1913 Webster] 6. (Manuf.) A machine for tearing or cutting rags, cotton, etc. [1913 Webster] Blue devils. See under Blue. Cartesian devil. See under Cartesian. Devil bird (Zo["o]l.), one of two or more South African drongo shrikes (Edolius retifer, and Edolius 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 Laminaria longicruris) of the Atlantic ocean, having a blackish, leathery expansion, shaped somewhat like an apron. Devil's coachhorse. (Zo["o]l.) (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. (Zo["o]l.) See under Darn, v. t. Devil's fingers, Devil's hand (Zo["o]l.), the common British starfish (Asterias rubens); -- also applied to a sponge with stout branches. [Prov. Eng., Irish & Scot.] Devil's riding-horse (Zo["o]l.), 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 (Zo["o]l.), a very savage carnivorous marsupial of Tasmania (Dasyurus ursinus syn. Diabolus ursinus ). To play devil with, to molest extremely; to ruin. [Low] [1913 Webster]