Fra Diavolo
Preserved but no longer current.
Auber's opera of this name (1830) is founded on the ex- ploits of Michele Pozza (1760-1806), a cele- brated brigand and renegade monk, who evaded pursuit for many years amidst the mountains of Calabria.
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 “Fra Diavolo” mean?
Auber's opera of this name (1830) is founded on the ex- ploits of Michele Pozza (1760-1806), a cele- brated brigand and renegade monk, who evaded pursuit for many years amidst the mountains of Calabria.
Is “Fra Diavolo” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.