blue deviln.

c1616 R. C. Times' Whistle (1871) vii. 3443 Alston, whose life hath been accounted evill, And therfore cal'de by many the blew devill, S[t]ruck with remorse of his ill gotten pelfe, Would in dispaire have made away himselfe.

1741 Publick Reg. 10 Jan. 5/1 [Laughter] is a more powerful Exorcism of those blue Devils, which too often possess our poor mortal Fabric, than what can be perform'd by a Conclave of Cardinals.

1750 M. Jones Misc. in Prose & Verse 173 I propose to enquire into the Nature, and Existence of Demons, (or blue Devils, as you call 'em) and examine the Powers they have over the Minds or Bodies of Men.

1821 ‘L. Gibbons’ Cavalier (1822) II. xviii. 214 I'll stand by ye, while I've steel to my hilt,..or may I be horsed for a coward, and eaten by blue devils.

1870 J. R. Lowell Among my Bks. (1873) 1st Ser. 364 He..keeps a pet sorrow, a blue-devil familiar, that goes with him everywhere.

1989 B. Parmenter tr. L. Abouzeid Year of Elephant ii. 19 My father had bought a small truck... ‘A machine invented by the blue devil!’ my grandfather said.

1816 M. Elphinstone Let. 29 Nov. in T. E. Colebrooke Life M. Elphinstone (1884) I. 345 I like ‘Childe Harold’ very much. It is exquisite blue-devilage... It is the first practical exhibition of real blue devils.

1787 R. Burns Let. 25 Nov. (2001) I. 176 In my bitter hours of blue-devilism.

1868 C. Lever Let. 6 Jan. (1906) II. xviii. 208 Your hearty words of good cheer dallied me out of a blue-devilism that is more often my companion nowadays than some fifteen or twenty years ago.

1895 C. Duff Master-Knot vi. 19 But then I am not in the mood for intercourse with anyone except an old chum like you who knows my ways. I have had a fit of blue devilism all day.

1807 T. S. Surr Mask of Fashion I. 146 I am always blue deviled when I come away from any of these residences of former monarchy.

1832 W. Whewell Let. 1 July in I. Todhunter William Whewell (1876) II. 143 Do not wait till I become blue-devilled with hard work.

1949 G. Heyer Arabella xiv. 253 [He] didn't send me word where he was till this morning—feeling too blue-devilled, I daresay.

2007 J. Landon Dishonour & Desire ii. 67 ‘You're not still blue-devilled about yesterday, are you, Cat?’ said Lord Rayne.

1804 A. M. Porter Lake of Killarney I. 171 I shall persuade myself presently, that you are a voice from the tombs, or a tolling bell—..or any thing else, that is horrible and blue devilish.

1824 New Monthly Mag. 11 427 Our blue-devilish and hypochondriacal countrymen.

1875 All Year Round 26 June 312/2 Of all the dreary, cutthroat, blue-devilish syllables in the English language, I believe those words ‘too late’ are the ugliest.

1894 Mrs. Alexander Ward in Chancery xv. 262 We have been quite dull and blue-devilish lately.

1871 L. W. M. Lockhart Fair to See I. viii. 208 The pine-trees loomed through stagnant mists with a dejected, blue-devilly aspect.