Old Nick
1
9.9
- idiom
- Archaic
:
Viejo Nick
- Some call me Old Nick, Some call me Beelzebub.
Some call me Old Nick, Some call me Beelzebub.
- Some call me Old Nick, Some call me Beelzebub.
Examples
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You know Old Nick is the name for the devil in England?
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You just trust old Nick.
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Don't you worry about old Nick.
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- I'll show you where Old Nick hangs out.
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You know Old Nick is the name for the devil in England?
-
Old Nick is a nickname for the devil.
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It was days before he dared to tell his story, for fear that just mentioning the devil might bring Old Nick back.
Synonyms
321
4.2
A main evil spirit in some religions who tempts people and rules Hell
318
5.3
A powerful spirit that represents evil and tempts people
104
7.7
A powerful evil being who opposes God and tempts people
8
9.9
A powerful evil spirit often shown as leader of demons in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic stories
1
8.8
A powerful evil being in some religions who rules Hell and tempts people
A figure like Satan who tries to make people do wrong
Surface Forms
Morphology
old + Nick
Although 'old' is transparent, 'Nick' is a proper name with no semantic link to 'devil', so the nickname 'Old Nick' is a conventionalized, culture-specific label whose meaning cannot be deduced from its parts. A B1 learner who knows the words 'old' and 'Nick' but has not seen the expression would not predict it means 'the Devil', making it opaque.
Etymology
Old Nick comes from using a common name, Nick, to give the Devil the image of an old, sneaky man who tempts people. That's why Old Nick is used to mean the 'Devil'.