1883. Hawley Smart, Hard Lines, ch. i. One looks up at the
snow-white walls ... and then remembers grimly what a mess the
devil’s dust, as used by modern artillery, would make of them in
these days.
Devil’s Guts, subs. (old).—A surveyor’s chain.
1785. Grose, Dict. Vulg. Tongue, s.v.
Devil’s Own, subs. (military).—1. The Eighty-Eight Foot. [A contraction
of the devil’s own Connaught boys, a name given by General Picton for
their gallantry in action and their irregularity in quarters during the
Peninsular War, 1809–14.]
2. (volunteer)—The Inns of Court Volunteers [in allusion to the legal
personnel].
1864. Mark Lemon, Jest Book, p. 211. At a review of the volunteers,
when the half-drowned heroes were defiling by all the best ways,
the devil’s own walked straight through. This being reported to
Lord B——, he remarked, ‘that the lawyers always went through thick
and thin.’
1872. Daily Telegraph, 28 Nov. In Richmond Park the Inns of Court
Rifle Volunteers, more familiarly known as the Devil’s Own, were
inspected by Colonel Daubeney.
Devil’s-Paternoster. To say the Devil’s Paternoster, verb. phr.
(old).—To grumble.
1614. Terence, in English. D. What devills pater noster is this he
is saying? what would he? what saist thou honest man?
Devil’s Playthings, subs. phr. (common).—Cards.—See Devil’s Books.
Devil’s-Sharpshooters, subs. (American).—Clerics who took part in the
Mexican War.
Devil’s-Smiles, subs. (common).—April weather with alternations of
sunshine and rain.
Devil’s-Tattoo, subs. (common). Drumming the fingers on any resonant
surface, or tapping the floor with one’s feet, acts of vacancy or
impatience.
1817. Scott, Search after Happiness, st. xv. His sugar-loaves and
bales about he threw, And on his counter beat the devil’s tattoo.
1837. R. H. Barham, Ingoldsby Legends (ed. 1862), p. 181. Her tears
had ceased; but her eyes were cast down, and mournfully fixed upon
her delicate little foot, which was beating the devil’s tattoo.
1841. Lytton, Night and Morning, bk. III., ch. vi. Mr. Gawtrey
remained by the fire beating the devil’s tattoo upon the
chimney-piece.
1855. Thackeray, The Newcomes, II., 130. Lady Kew (loq.): ‘Have you
been quarrelling as much as usual?’ ‘Pretty much as usual,’ says
Barnes, drumming on his hat. ‘Don’t beat that devil’s tattoo.’
Devil’s Teeth.—See Devil’s Bones.
[Also to note in this connexion are devil’s own boy = a young
blackguard; imp of the devil = idem; devil’s own ship = a pirate;
devil’s own luck = uncommon, or inexplicable, good fortune; to lead one
the devil’s own dance = to baffle one in the pursuit of any object; the
devil a bit says punch = a jocular yet decided negative; and neat but
not gaudy, as the devil said when he painted his bottom pink and tied
up his tail with pea green, a locution employed of aged ladies dressed
in flaming colours.]
Deviltry, subs. (low).—A vulgar form of ‘devilry.’