Meanings
red devil1
plural red devils
- slangA capsule of secobarbital sodium, especially when used as a recreational drug.
Police said they acted on a tip, arrested the brothers at home and confiscated some “red devil” (barbiturate) capsules.
1964 June 16, “Charges Changed in Brothers’ Cases”, in The Indianapolis Star, volume 62, number 11, Indianapolis, Ind., page 31 more example
He snapped his fingers and said, “Jack, you're lucky. I just remembered, my sick old man is got some red devils from a script at his pad. But the pad is way out on Hundred-and-six Street and Massie Avenue.[”]
1967, Iceberg Slim [Robert Beck], Trick Baby: The Story of a White Negro, New York, NY: Cash Money Content, →ISBN
red devil2
Red Devil3
Synonyms & antonyms
More synonyms by meaning
nounbarbiturate that is a white odorless slightly bitter powder (trade name Seconal) used as a sodium salt for sedation and to treat convulsions
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Cite this entry
red devil. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/red%20devil
“red devil.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/red%20devil. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “red devil,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/red%20devil.
Source: red devil on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.