what the Devil
English
[edit]Etymology
[edit]Inherited from Middle English what þe devel, what devel.
Pronunciation
[edit]Audio (General Australian): (file)
Interjection
[edit]- (idiomatic) Used to add emphasis to “what” when beginning a question.
- What the Devil have you done to the horse?
- c. 1515–1516, John Skelton, Magnyfycence; republished in John Scattergood, editor, John Skelton: The Complete English Poems, 1983, →OCLC, page 166, line 922:
- What the devyll hast thou on thy fyste? An owle?
Synonyms
[edit]Translations
[edit]used to add emphasis to "what" when beginning question
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