what the Devil

English

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English what þe devel, what devel.

Pronunciation

Audio (AU) (file)

Interjection

what the Devil?

(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

Translations

used to add emphasis to "what" when beginning question

Finnish: mitä pirua
Ido: per la diablo
Irish: cad é an diabhal, cad san diabhal
Romanian: ce dracu
Russian: како́го чёрта (kakóvo čórta), что за чёрт (što za čort)

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