be a devil

interjection

Used to encourage someone to do something when they are unsure whether they should.

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Meanings

interjection
  1. UKinformalUsed to encourage someone to do something when they are unsure whether they should.

    You don't need to lose any, but try it. Be a devil.

    1987, Susan Musgrave, The Dancing Chicken: A Novel, page 48
    2 more examples

    Just after a woman announcer had read the weather forecast before the BBC's 10 o'clock radio news last night a man was heard to say: “Go on. Be a devil. Give us a bit." The BBC was inundated with calls and letters wishing the happy couple every happiness in their future together.

    1967, Encounter - Volume 29, page 95

    I used to say to him, “Wouldn't you care for a sandwich just today, Mr Main? Come on, be a devil. Strike new ground. '

    1995, Freda Bream, Sealed and Despatched, page 107
Cite this entry
APA

be a devil. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/be%20a%20devil

MLA

“be a devil.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/be%20a%20devil. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “be a devil,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/be%20a%20devil.

Source: be a devil on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.