devil's dust
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Sense 1
Any type of powder or dustlike substance whose use or effect is considered to be harmful or malevolent.
Register: informal, slang
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).
Sense 2
a term used in the manufacturing districts of Yorkshire to denote shreds of old cloth torn up to re-manufacture; also called SHODDY. Mr. Ferrand, in his speech in the House, March 4, 1842, produced a piece of cloth made chiefly from DEVIL’S DUST, and tore it into shreds to prove its worthlessness.—See Hansard’s Parliamentary Debates, third series, vol. lxi. p. 140.
Era: ca. 1874 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Historical definition reproduced from Hotten’s The Slang Dictionary (1874, public domain; Project Gutenberg #42108, retrieved 2026-07-31). Reflects the attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “devil's dust” mean?
Any type of powder or dustlike substance whose use or effect is considered to be harmful or malevolent.
Is “devil's dust” formal or informal?
devil's dust is generally informal, slang.