blue devils

English

Etymology

Originally apparitions supposed to be seen by sufferers of delirium tremens.

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Noun

blue devils pl (plural only)

1. (idiomatic) low spirits; depression
   • 1890, William Morris, News from Nowhere, in the journal The Commonweal. (First published in book form 1890.)

     "[…] the disease is either extinct, or exists in such a mild form that a short course of aperient medicine carries it off. It is sometimes called the Blue-devils now or the Mulleygrubs. Queer names, ain't they?"

2. (idiomatic) depressants, especially the barbiturate amobarbital.

Synonyms

• (depression): mulligrubs

Translations

low spirits

• French: idée noire (fr) f, déprime (fr) f
• Polish: dołek (pl) m
• Russian: зелёная тоска́ f (zeljónaja toská, literally “green melancholy”), хандра́ (ru) f (xandrá)