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play the devil with

Idioms  

  1. Upset, ruin, make a mess of, as in This weather plays the devil with my aching joints, or Wine stains play the devil with a white tablecloth. This allusion to diabolical mischief is heard more in Britain than in America. [Mid-1500s] Also see the synonym play havoc.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

He hated it, but in self-defense he repressed his homesickness and began to play the devil with his wit.

From Time Magazine Archive

But these blamed fancy flips are what play the devil with a fellow.

From The Lash by Lyman, Olin L.

If he gets back to power, he will certainly play the devil with something.’

From The Real Gladstone an Anecdotal Biography by Ritchie, J. Ewing (James Ewing)

Oh, beauty, beauty! terrima causa belli, thou dost play the devil with the hearts of men!

From Going to Maynooth Traits and Stories of the Irish Peasantry, The Works of William Carleton, Volume Three by Carleton, William

But mist would play the devil with that scheme, for the enemy would be past the place for flanking fire before we knew it...

From Mr. Standfast by Buchan, John

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.