1.Informal The devil: “Love is a bodily infirmity . . . which breaks out the deuce knows how or why” (Thackeray). 2. An outstanding example, especially of something difficult or bad: had a deuce of a time getting out of town; a deuce of a family row.3. A severe reprimand or expression of anger: got the deuce for being late.4.Informal Used as an intensive: What the deuce were they thinking of?
ETYMOLOGY:
Probably from Low German duus, a throw of two in dice games, bad luck, ultimately from Latin duo, two. See deuce1.
d
s, dy
