devil's delight

Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word devil's delight. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word devil's delight, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say devil's delight in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word devil's delight you have here. The definition of the word devil's delight will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition ofdevil's delight, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.

English

Noun

devil's delight

  1. (dated, slang) A riot; a row.
    • 1863, William G. Sewell, The Ordeal of Free Labor in the British West Indies, page 13:
      They are tied by the head, so that they are unable to lie down; but, their legs being free, they kick up a devil's delight during the storm, and sharpen the sensations of their sea-sick neighbors. They snort, and neigh, and groan with terror,
    (Can we find and add a quotation of The Ashantee War to this entry?)
    though he would certainly not himself do us any harm, he would awake a devil's delight of fire from all sides from the still dispersed pillagers

References

  • John Camden Hotten (1873) The Slang Dictionary