What is "devil's fingers"

Devil \Dev"il\, n. [AS. de['o]fol, de['o]ful; akin to G. ?eufel, Goth. diaba['u]lus; all fr. L. diabolus the devil, Gr. ? the devil, the slanderer, fr. ? to slander, calumniate, orig., to throw across; ? across + ? to throw, let fall, fall; cf. Skr. gal to fall. Cf. Diabolic.]

1. The Evil One; Satan, represented as the tempter and spiritual of mankind.

   [Jesus] being forty days tempted of the devil.
   --Luke iv.

2. That old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world.
   --Rev. xii. 9.

   2. An evil spirit; a demon.

   A dumb man possessed with a devil.
   --Matt. ix. 32.

3. A very wicked person; hence, any great evil. ``That devil Glendower.'' ``The devil drunkenness.''
   --Shak.

   Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?
   --John vi. 70.

4. An expletive of surprise, vexation, or emphasis, or, ironically, of negation. [Low]

   The devil a puritan that he is, . . . but a timepleaser.
   --Shak.

   The things, we know, are neither rich nor rare, But wonder how the devil they got there.
   --Pope.

5. (Cookery) A dish, as a bone with the meat, broiled and excessively peppered; a grill with Cayenne pepper.

   Men and women busy in baking, broiling, roasting oysters, and preparing devils on the gridiron.
   --Sir W. Scott.

6. (Manuf.) A machine for tearing or cutting rags, cotton, etc. Blue devils. See under Blue. Cartesian devil. See under Cartesian. Devil bird (Zo["o]l.), one of two or more South African drongo shrikes ( Edolius retifer, and Edolius remifer), believed by the natives to be connected with sorcery. Devil may care, reckless, defiant of authority; -- used adjectively. --Longfellow. Devil's apron (Bot.), the large kelp ( Laminaria saccharina, and Laminaria longicruris) of the Atlantic ocean, having a blackish, leathery expansion, shaped somewhat like an apron. Devil's coachhorse. (Zo["o]l.)

   1. The black rove beetle ( Ocypus olens). [Eng.]

   2. A large, predacious, hemipterous insect ( Prionotus cristatus); the wheel bug. [U.S.]

      Devil's darning-needle. (Zo["o]l.) See under Darn, v. t.

      Devil's fingers, Devil's hand (Zo["o]l.), the common British starfish ( Asterias rubens); -- also applied to a sponge with stout branches. [Prov. Eng., Irish & Scot.]

      Devil's riding-horse (Zo["o]l.), the American mantis ( Mantis Carolina).

      The Devil's tattoo, a drumming with the fingers or feet. ``Jack played the Devil's tattoo on the door with his boot heels.''
      --F. Hardman (Blackw. Mag.).

      Devil worship, worship of the power of evil; -- still practiced by barbarians who believe that the good and evil forces of nature are of equal power.

      Printer's devil, the youngest apprentice in a printing office, who runs on errands, does dirty work (as washing the ink rollers and sweeping), etc. ``Without fearing the printer's devil or the sheriff's officer.''
      --Macaulay.

      Tasmanian devil (Zo["o]l.), a very savage carnivorous marsupial of Tasmania ( Dasyurus ursinus syn. Diabolus ursinus).

      To play devil with, to molest extremely; to ruin. [Low]