go-devil

plural go-devils

1. UScolloquialA gadget or unspecified device, in various industries.

   He had three wagonloads of go-devil squibs he wanted to sell, you know, these little oil-well torpedoes, hold about a quart of nitro each? Beautiful.

   2006, Thomas Pynchon, Against the Day, Vintage, published 2007, page 952

   1. UScolloquialA weight which is dropped into a bore, as of an oil well, to explode a cartridge previously lowered.
   2. UScolloquialA device, such as a loosely fitted plug, which is driven through a pipe by the pressure of the contents behind the plug to clear away obstructions.
   3. UScolloquialA rough sled or dray used for dragging or hauling loads.