play the devil with

Idioms

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.

See Examples For:

play the devil with

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 Olin L. Lyman

How they do play the devil with the candle!

From Dwellers in the Hills by Melville Davisson Post

They'll play the devil with all the pots and pans, if you aren't by.—Why,

From John Bull The Englishman's Fireside: A Comedy, in Five Acts by George Colman

Terran life-forms could play the devil with alien ecological systems—very much to humanity's benefit.

From This World Is Taboo by Murray Leinster

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