And I must wear the willow garland For him that's
dead or false to me. --Campbell.
2. (Textile Manuf.) A machine in which cotton or wool is
opened and cleansed by the action of long spikes
projecting from a drum which revolves within a box studded
with similar spikes; -- probably so called from having
been originally a cylindrical cage made of willow rods,
though some derive the term from winnow, as denoting the
winnowing, or cleansing, action of the machine. Called
also {willy}, {twilly}, {twilly devil}, and {devil}.
{Almond willow}, {Pussy willow}, {Weeping willow}. (Bot.) See
under {Almond}, {Pussy}, and {Weeping}.
{Willow biter} (Zo["o]l.) the blue tit. [Prov. Eng.]
{Willow fly} (Zo["o]l.), a greenish European stone fly
({Chloroperla viridis}); -- called also {yellow Sally}.
{Willow gall} (Zo["o]l.), a conical, scaly gall produced on
willows by the larva of a small dipterous fly ({Cecidomyia
strobiloides}).
{Willow grouse} (Zo["o]l.), the white ptarmigan. See
{ptarmigan}.
{Willow lark} (Zo["o]l.), the sedge warbler. [Prov. Eng.]
{Willow ptarmigan} (Zo["o]l.)
(a) The European reed bunting, or black-headed bunting.
See under {Reed}.
(b) A sparrow ({Passer salicicolus}) native of Asia,
Africa, and Southern Europe.
{Willow tea}, the prepared leaves of a species of willow
largely grown in the neighborhood of Shanghai, extensively
used by the poorer classes of Chinese as a substitute for
tea. --McElrath.
{Willow thrush} (Zo["o]l.), a variety of the veery, or
Wilson's thrush. See {Veery}.
{Willow warbler} (Zo["o]l.), a very small European warbler
({Phylloscopus trochilus}); -- called also {bee bird},
{haybird}, {golden wren}, {pettychaps}, {sweet William},
{Tom Thumb}, and {willow wren}.
[Jesus] being forty days tempted of the devil.
--Luke iv. 2.
That old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which
deceiveth the whole world. --Rev. xii. 9.
A dumb man possessed with a devil. --Matt. ix.
32.
3. A very wicked person; hence, any great evil. ``That devil
Glendower.'' ``The devil drunkenness.'' --Shak.
Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a
devil? --John vi. 70.
4. An expletive of surprise, vexation, or emphasis, or,
ironically, of negation. [Low]
The devil a puritan that he is, . . . but a
timepleaser. --Shak.
The things, we know, are neither rich nor rare, But
wonder how the devil they got there. --Pope.
5. (Cookery) A dish, as a bone with the meat, broiled and
excessively peppered; a grill with Cayenne pepper.
Men and women busy in baking, broiling, roasting
oysters, and preparing devils on the gridiron. --Sir
W. Scott.
6. (Manuf.) A machine for tearing or cutting rags, cotton,
etc.
{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 {E. 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 {L. 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, or Diabolus, ursinus}).
{To play devil with}, to molest extremely; to ruin. [Low]
2. To grill with Cayenne pepper; to season highly in cooking,
as with pepper.
A deviled leg of turkey. --W. Irving.