old nick
/'ould'hæri/ Cách viết khác : (Old_Nick) /'ould'nik/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Proper noun * The Devil, Satan: A traditional, often informal or euphemistic name for the chief spirit of evil and adversary of God in Christian belief; the tempter of mankind and master of Hell.
Usage
"Old Nick" is used as a proper name to refer to the Devil. It is often found in older texts, folklore, proverbs, and informal speech. It can carry a tone that is less formal than "Satan" or "the Devil," sometimes appearing in cautionary tales or expressions.
Examples
Advanced Usage
- Euphemistic and Folkloric Use: The term is deeply embedded in English and European folklore. It often personifies evil or mischief in a way that is more narrative and less theologically formal than "Satan."
- The tale was a classic one: a man selling his soul to Old Nick at the crossroads.
Variants and Related Words
- Nick: A shortened, even more informal variant.
- He swore he'd seen Old Nick, or just Nick, dancing in the flames.
- The Devil: The standard term.
- Satan: The name derived from Hebrew, common in religious contexts.
- The Adversary: A formal title.
- The Tempter: Emphasizes the role of tempting humans to sin.
- The Prince of Darkness: A poetic and dramatic title.
Synonyms
- Beelzebub
- Lucifer
- Mephistopheles
- The Evil One
- The Foul Fiend
Related Idioms and Phrases
- To play Old Nick: To cause serious trouble or mischief.
- The wind played Old Nick with the washing on the line, scattering it across the garden.
- Give the Old Nick his due: A variant of "give the devil his due," meaning to acknowledge a positive quality in someone you dislike or who is generally bad.
- I don't trust him, but to give the Old Nick his due, he always pays his debts on time.
Noun
- (Judeo-Christian and Islamic religions) chief spirit of evil and adversary of God; tempter of mankind; master of Hell