up to some devilment
- idiom
- UK
- The children were clearly up to some devilment when we heard giggles from the attic.
Examples
-
If the dog is quiet for too long, he's probably up to some devilment in the next room.
-
She knew her brother was up to some devilment by the look on his face.
-
The children are up to some devilment in the backyard!
-
What are they up to some devilment about?
-
The mischievous puppy was definitely up to some devilment as it chewed on the furniture.
-
Hearing laughter and whispering in the hallway, I realized the kids were up to some devilment behind my back.
-
Seeing the paint splattered all over the floor, I knew the children had been up to some devilment while I was away.
Synonyms
62
7.0
Doing something secret that may be wrong or harmful
59
1.0
Badly behaved or not following rules, usually a child
29
7.4
Acting in a secret or suspicious way to do something wrong
27
3.5
Causing playful trouble that is not harmful
16
4.4
Being very naughty in a playful, clever way
4
4.0
Behaving in a naughty, playful way that annoys others
2
3.9
Doing playful, slightly naughty things that are not serious
1
9.3
Playfully naughty and a little odd
1
7.7
Shows playful energy and plays small tricks to surprise people
Antonyms
How Mischievous
Surface Forms
Morphology
The sense 'engaged in mischievous activity' is directly derivable from combining the construction 'be up to' (meaning 'doing/engaged in') with 'devilment' (mischief). This composition follows a standard English pattern and has clear cross-linguistic parallels, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent meanings would understand the MWE.
Etymology
Up to some devilment may come from the image of little 'devils' hiding and planning naughty tricks. Here up to means 'doing' and devilment means naughty mischief, so the phrase now means 'doing mischief'.