Tasmanian devil n.
[动]袋獾
tasmanian devil[ noun ]
small ferocious carnivorous marsupial having a mostly black coat and long tail
<noun.animal>
Tasmanian \Tas*ma"ni*an\ (t[a^]z*m[=a]"n[i^]*an), a.
Of or pertaining to Tasmania, or Van Diemen's Land. -- n. A
native or inhabitant of Tasmania; specifically (Ethnol.), in
the plural, the race of men that formerly inhabited Tasmania,
but is now extinct.
{Tasmanian cider tree}. (Bot.) See the Note under
{Eucalyptus}.
{Tasmanian devil}. (Zo["o]l.) See under {Devil}.
{Tasmanian wolf} (Zo["o]l.), a savage carnivorous marsupial;
-- called also {zebra wolf}. See {Zebra wolf}, under
{Wolf}.
Devil \Dev"il\, n. [AS. de['o]fol, de['o]ful; akin to G. ?eufel,
Goth. diaba['u]lus; all fr. L. diabolus the devil, Gr. ? the
devil, the slanderer, fr. ? to slander, calumniate, orig., to
throw across; ? across + ? to throw, let fall, fall; cf. Skr.
gal to fall. Cf. {Diabolic}.]
1. The Evil One; Satan, represented as the tempter and
spiritual of mankind.
[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.
2. An evil spirit; a demon.
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 {Edolius 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 {Laminaria 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 ursinus} syn. {Diabolus
ursinus}).
{To play devil with}, to molest extremely; to ruin. [Low]