devilry

He possessed both the winemaking skills and an appetite for devilry.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2025

That makes a person wonder what manner of devilry they're concealing; after all, if there's literally nothing to see in front of us, surely it's hiding elsewhere.

From Salon ● Feb. 12, 2022

In the Thuringian town of Eisenach, where Bach was born, quasi-pagan notions of devilry still prevailed.

From The New Yorker ● Dec. 25, 2016

A different, more downbeat brand of devilry is afoot in "The Exorcist," which takes off from William Peter Blatty’s bestselling 1971 novel and director William Friedkin's 1973 film.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2016

“Why should we suddenly trust him?” whispered Elinor to Mo. “Suppose there’s some other devilry behind this?”

From "Inkheart" by Cornelia Funke

No, no! these artifices and devilries with dead bodies may deceive the soldiers of the 55th and the king's officers; but they are all lost upon men who have passed their days in the forest.

From Pathfinder; or, the inland sea by James Fenimore Cooper

"Then this is another of your devilries, I suppose," snarled Von Hamner.

From The Mummy and Miss Nitocris A Phantasy of the Fourth Dimension by George Chetwynd Griffith

The advance towards Bapaume was of special interest to R.F.C. squadrons on the Somme, for the town had been a troublesome centre of anti-aircraft devilries.

From Cavalry of the Clouds by Alan Bott

With it, too, the idle can pass many an hour, which otherwise he would have given, not to work, but to extravagant devilries.

From The Gentlemen's Book of Etiquette and Manual of Politeness Being a Complete Guide for a Gentleman's Conduct in all his Relations Towards Society by Cecil B. Hartley

Smoke came from the chimneys of them, even in the hottest days of summer, and weird tales were told of the devilries there committed.

From The Magician by W. Somerset (William Somerset) Maugham