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Meaning of play the devil with | Babel Free

Verb CEFR C2

Definitions

To cause great trouble or distress to.

colloquial, idiomatic

Examples

“There's a silly young fool; but perhaps it's not entirely his fault. The last six months of the war played the devil with many an unformed character.”

CEFR level

C2
Mastery
This word is part of the CEFR C2 vocabulary — mastery level.
See all C2 English words →

See also

play the dickens with play the field play the fool play the game play the gender card play the giddy goat

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