Glad to see this is going down well, so here we go again……………………..
STAIRCASE - There is a Devil’s Staircase neat Glenluce, Whigtown, and another (a mountain trackway) leading from the head of Glencoe to Kinlochmore, Inverness.
STAR - The Devil Star or Demon Star ALGOL, is a star system in the constellation Perseus.
STICKS - The Devil on Two Sticks was written by Samuel Foote in 1768. This was a satire written on the medical practices of his time. It comes from the old game of Diabolos, where the players have two spinning tops (devils) attached to sticks.
STONES - Many of the prehistoric standing stones around Britain are called “Devil stones”
STUMP - See “Whip” below
TAIL – see “Pull” above.
TAILORS - “The Devil is among the tailors”, this means there is a quarrel or argument going on! Said to be derived grom a whipping game, in wich the top (the devil) is spun in the middle of several wooden “men” (tailors) with the intention of the knocking them down.
TALK OF THE DEVIL - The full phrase is “talk of the Devil and he’s sure to appear”, from old name magic which was an important part of the belief in spiritual beings.
TATTOO – “beating the Devil’s tattoo”, is the continuous tapping of fingers on a solid surface or object. Designed to drive the listener mad……..!
TEMPLE - the “Devil’s temple”, was referred to in an old proverb in Robert Burton’s ‘Anotomy of Melancholy’ in 1621: “Where God hath a temple the devil hath a chapel”.
THROAT - In Cromers Bay, Norfolk. Named because of the number of shipwrecks and lack of any safe harbour.
TRUTH – See “Shame the Devil” previously.
TWO STICKS - See “Sticks”.
VIRTUE – The Devil’s Virtue is a reference to a double entendre of St Jerome in ‘Contre Jovimen: Diaboli vurtis in lumbis est’. If your Latin is as good as mine, you’ll have no idea that this means ‘The virtue of the Devil is in the loins’.
WALK – The Devil’s Walk is a poem by P B Shelley 1792-1822.
“Oh! why is the Father of Hell in such glee, as he grins from ear to ear? Why does he doff his clothes joyfully, As he skips and prances, and flaps his wing, As he slides, leers, and twirls his sting….” – could catch on!!!
WATER – This is a river which rises near the Durham border and flows into the Tyne, 2 miles east of Hexham in Northumberland.
WHIP - “To whip the Devil around the stump” – this is an American saying meaning to enjoy the results of evil actions without having to pay the cost.
WHITE DEVIL - “The White Divil” (devil), this was an Italian murderess Vittoria Corombona, in the sixteenth century. Her story was dramatized by John Webster, published in 1612, under the title of The White Divil.
Well, thats it – sorry theres no pictures on this one but couldnt find ANY.
Next blog will be a write up of a Demon. Dont know which one yet – stay tuned….!
See you soon
Thanks for the blog article.Really looking forward to read more. Want more.