devil
devil /ˈdɛvl̟/ noun
plural devils
devil
/ˈdɛvl̟/
noun
plural devils
Learner's definition of DEVIL
1
a the Devil : the most powerful spirit of evil in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam who is often represented as the ruler of hell（基督教、犹太教、伊斯兰教）魔王撒旦
- He went to the Halloween party dressed up as the Devil. [=Satan]他打扮成魔王撒旦参加万圣节前夕派对。
b [count] : an evil spirit恶魔
- an imaginary world haunted by ghosts and devils [=demons]幽灵和魔鬼作祟的虚幻世界
2
[count] informal
a : a person who does bad things or causes trouble usually in a way that is not too serious捣蛋鬼
- She is a tricky devil, so be careful.她可是个狡猾的捣蛋鬼，所以要小心。
- Those kids can be little devils sometimes.那些孩子有时是小淘气。
b : a person (especially a man) who is lucky, unlucky, etc.幸运儿；可怜人
- The poor devil [=poor guy] broke his leg on the first day of his skiing vacation.这个可怜人在滑雪度假的第一天就摔断了腿。
- He's such a lucky devil that he'll probably win the lottery someday.他是如此幸运的人，没准哪天就会中大奖。
3
the devil informal — used to make a statement or question more forceful（用于加强陈述或疑问语气）究竟，到底
- What the devil are you talking about?你到底在说什么？
- Where the devil have you been?你究竟去哪了？
4
[singular] informal : something that is very difficult or that causes a lot of trouble棘手的事；麻烦事— usually used in the phrase a devil of通常用于短语a devil of— see also the devil to pay at 1pay
- The shoes look great, but they're the devil to walk in. [=they are very difficult to walk in]这双鞋看起来很不错，但是穿起来却很不舒服。
- The new regulations have created a devil of a problem [=a very difficult problem] for many small businesses.新条例给许多小型企业带来了大难题。
- He had a devil of a time getting another job. [=he found it very difficult to get another job]他花了很长时间重新找工作。
be a devil
British, informal— used to tell someone who is not sure about doing something to go ahead and do it干吧（用于鼓励犹豫不定的人勇往直前）
- “I don't know if I should eat anything else.” “Oh, go on, be a devil, order dessert!”“我拿不定主意，要不要再吃点什么。”“哦，接着吃，来吧，叫点甜点！”
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面对熟悉的情况总比面对陌生的情况强
between the devil and the deep blue sea
old-fashioned: in a situation that is difficult because you must choose between two unpleasant things进退两难
- She felt caught between the devil and the deep blue sea. [=in a very bad situation]她觉得进退两难。
go to the devil
informal— used to forcefully and rudely tell someone to go away and leave you alone滚开；见鬼去
- She angrily told him to go to the devil. [=(more commonly) go to hell]她非常生气地让他滚开。
like the devil
informal1
: very much非常
- I'm sorry to hear about your injury. It must hurt like the devil.很遗憾听说你受伤了。一定很疼吧。
2
: with a lot of energy and speed猛烈地
- He ran like the devil. [=he ran very fast]他急速飞奔。
speak/talk of the devil
informal— used in speech to say that someone you have been talking about has unexpectedly appeared说到某人，某人就到
- “Well, speak of the devil! We were just talking about you!”“说曹操，曹操到！我们刚才还在说你呢！”
