devil's shoestringn.
/ˌdɛvlz ˈʃuːstrɪŋ/, U.S. /ˌdɛv(ə)lz ˈʃuˌstrɪŋ/ U.S.
1. Any of several leguminous plants native to North America having long, tough roots, esp. goat's rue ( Tephrosia virginiana), formerly used to poison fish and as a medicinal herb; a root of such a plant. Also in plural in same sense.
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the world > plants > particular plants > plants and herbs > according to family > leguminous plants > [noun] > other leguminous plants
peaseOE
vetchc1400
hatchet vetch1548
mock liquorice1548
scorpion's tail1548
ax-fitch1562
ax-seed1562
axwort1562
treacle clover1562
lady's finger1575
bird's-foot1578
goat's rue1578
horseshoe1578
caterpillar1597
kidney-vetch1597
horseshoe-vetch1640
goat rue1657
kidney-fetch1671
galega1685
stanch1726
scorpion senna1731
Dolichos1753
Sophora1753
partridge pea1787
bauhinia1790
coronilla1793
swamp pea-tree1796
Mysore thorn1814
devil's shoestring1817
pencil flower1817
rattlebox1817
Canavalia1828
milk plant1830
joint-vetch1836
milk pea1843
prairie clover1857
oxytrope1858
rattleweed1864
wart-herb1864
snail-flower1866
poison pea1884
masu1900
money bush1924
Townsville stylo1970
orange bird's-foot2007
1817 W. Baldwin Let. 30 Mar. in W. Darlington Reliquiae Baldwinianae (1843) 211 Galactia pinnata..vulgò ‘Devil's shoe strings’.
1830 C. S. Rafinesque Med. Flora U.S. II. 267 Tephrosia,..Turkey pea, Catgut, Devil's shoestrings, Suckehihaw of Osages.
1854 Acts Gen. Assembly Georgia 1853–4 338 Any person or persons who shall be found or detected poisoning or destroying fish in any stream or pond.., either with..devil's shoe-string, or any other matter or substance calculated to destroy fish, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.
1904 Attica (Indiana) Daily Ledger 21 Oct. On this particular occasion it is said that 2.500 bundles of ‘devil's shoestring’ will be used.
1939 Torreya 39 177 On roadside cuts Tephrosia virginiana was in full flower, exposing the long roots which have earned it such a name as ‘devil's shoe-strings’ in the South.
1998 B. W. Griffith McIntosh & Weatherford, Creek Indian Leaders ii. 13 The active ingredient of devil's shoestring is an organic poison now called rotenone, which attacks the central nervous system.
2013 D. Lillard & G. Hicks Exploring Appalachian Trail 172/2 The petals of the goat's-rue (also known as devil's shoestrings) actually look like pink, floppy goat ears.
2. Any of several North American shrubs of the genus Viburnum (family Adoxaceae), esp. the hobblebush or American wayfaring tree ( V. lantanoides), having drooping branches that take root when they touch the ground (chiefly in plural). Also: a root or other part of such a shrub, esp. used in magical or religious practice.
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the world > plants > particular plants > trees and shrubs > shrubs > viburnums or guelder rose and allies > [noun] > American wayfaring-tree
moose bush1784
wayfaring tree1785
sheep-berry1814
witchhopple1826
hobble-bush1842
hopple1853
wayfarer's tree1853
devil's shoestring1860
tangle-leg1860
1860 M. A. Curtis Geol. & Nat. Hist. Surv. N. Carolina III. 91 The branches spread upon the ground, and..form well secured loops for tripping the feet of inexperienced way-farers; a habit which has been revenged upon by the unlucky, in the names imposed upon it of American Way-fairer's Tree and the Devil's Shoe-strings.
1901 A. Lounsbury Southern Wild Flowers & Trees 478 By this means it trips up many that seek to pass through its meshes, and the natives have therefore deemed ‘Devil's shoestrings’ a not inappropriate designation.
1959 Times 30 Dec. 8/ They ask for Devil's Shoestring because they think it's going to bring them power or change their luck.
1985 S. Cunningham Encycl. Magical Herbs ii. 92 Devil's shoestring. (Vibumum alnifolium)... This herb wards off evil when worn around the neck.
2009 S. R. Bird Healing Grove v. 73 Devil's shoestring is soaked and pierced with a very strong needle, or wrapped with string and worn around the neck or ankle.
3. The trumpet creeper, Campsis radicans (family Bignoniaceae), which spreads rapidly and produces multiple clinging tendrils. Also in plural. C. radicans is widely cultivated as a garden plant for its red and yellow trumpet-shaped flowers, but may also be regarded as an invasive species.
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the world > plants > particular plants > trees and shrubs > non-British trees or shrubs > [noun] > tecomas
trumpet-vine1717
trumpet creeper1818
Tecoma1846
pony1864
devil's shoestring1900
1900 Southern Planter Apr. 203/2 Can you kindly tell me..what will kill yellow vines and cow vines, sometimes called ‘Devil's Shoestring’ on loose black soil?
1940 J. A. Steyermark Spring Flora Missouri 490 In parts of Missouri it has spread into old fields, pastures, and bottom lands so profusely that its many interlacing stems make walking difficult. For this reason it has been called ‘Devil's Shoe-strings’ or ‘Devil's Shoelaces’.
1978 Reg. Kentucky Hist. Soc. 76 227 I found trumpet vine which we often call Devil's Shoe-string, with large orange blossoms along fences that enclosed I-64's right-of-way.
2005 L. M. Adins Wildflowers Blue Ridge & Great Smoky Mountains 194 Aerial roots coming from the stem enable the plant to creep..and climb over and upon other vegetation, sometimes becoming so aggressive and well established that it can be a nuisance plant. Other names, such as Devil's Shoestrings and Hellvine, reflect this propensity.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2017; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1817