play the devil with
English
Verb
play
the
devil
with
(
colloquial
)
To cause great
trouble
or
distress
to.
Synonyms:
play merry hell with
,
play the deuce with
,
play the dickens with
1937
, Rupert Penny,
The Talkative Policeman
(page 166)
There's a silly young fool; but perhaps it's not entirely his fault. The last six months of the war
played the devil with
many an unformed character.
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