deviling

Verb

devil (third-person singular simple present devils, present participle (US) deviling or (UK) devilling, simple past and past participle (US) deviled or (UK) devilled)

1. To make like a devil; to invest with the character of a devil.
2. To annoy or bother.

   Synonyms:

   bedevil, aggravate, annoy, nettle, rankle, ruffle, sting, burn someone's ass, antagonize, bother

3. (intransitive) To work as a ‘devil’; to work for a lawyer or writer without fee or recognition.
   • He did not repeat the scathing estimate of her character by Quatrefages, who at that time spent one afternoon a week devilling at the Consulate, keeping the petty-cash box in order.1978, Lawrence Durrell, Livia (Avignon Quintet), Faber & Faber, published 1992, page 401
4. To ghostwrite; to author while working as a ‘devil’.
   • Didn't secretaries write the speeches of Parliamentary "big-bugs"? Weren't the opinions of eminent lawyers often written by their juniors, read over and signed? Weren't briefs and pleadings devilled?1922, John Galsworthy, Conscience, page 4
5. To prepare (food) with spices, making it spicy
   • […]; you could watch a buckwheat pancake whirled into existence under your eyes and see fowls' legs devilled, peppered, grilled, and tormented till they lost all semblance of the original Mariposa chicken.1912, Stephen Leacock, “The Hostelry of Mr. Smith”, in Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town, page 28
6. To finely grind (cooked ham or other meat) with spices and condiments.

See all 26 meanings of devil