Meanings
verbpull the devil by the tail (third-person singular simple present pulls the devil by the tail, present participle pulling the devil by the tail, simple past and past participle pulled the devil by the tail)
present singular third person pulls the devil by the tail · participle present pulling the devil by the tail · participle past pulled the devil by the tail · past pulled the devil by the tail
- To be struggling with poverty, constantly in money difficulties.
Cite this entry
APA
pull the devil by the tail. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pull%20the%20devil%20by%20the%20tail
MLA
“pull the devil by the tail.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pull%20the%20devil%20by%20the%20tail. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “pull the devil by the tail,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pull%20the%20devil%20by%20the%20tail.
Source: pull the devil by the tail on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.