devil on two sticks
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
The English name of Le Sage's novel Le diable boiteux (1707), in which
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “devil on two sticks” mean?
The English name of Le Sage's novel Le diable boiteux (1707), in which
Is “devil on two sticks” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.