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poor devil

idiom

Definition of poor devil

informal
—used to refer to someone or something in a way that shows sympathy
  • The poor devil broke his leg on the first day of his skiing vacation.

Word by Word Definitions

poor play

  1. : lacking material possessions

  2. : of, relating to, or characterized by poverty

  3. : less than adequate : meager

See the full definition of poor
devil play

  1. : the personal supreme spirit of evil often represented in Christian belief as the tempter of humankind, the leader of all apostate angels, and the ruler of hell

  2. : an evil spirit : demon

  3. : an extremely wicked person : fiend

  1. : to season highly

  2. : tease, annoy

See the full definition of devil

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