Old Nick

noun

, Informal.

1. the devil; Satan.

Old Nick

noun

1. informal.
   a jocular name for Satan

Word History and Origins

Origin of Old Nick¹

First recorded in 1660–70

Example Sentences

The protest made Old Nick’s Pub the latest target of anti-LGBTQ rhetoric that’s increasingly targeting drag story times across the U.S.

From Seattle Times

Old Nick Williams is opting to donate its cleaning products, along with Durham Distillery and others, to hospitality businesses.

From Washington Times

Their best answer to date is the other “goblin metal” closely associated with cobalt, nickel, whose name comes from a German spirit closely related to Old Nick.

From Economist

The outside of Old Nick’s is unprepossessing and the inside only a little better.

From The Guardian

His deputy called him diabolus bibliothecae, “the devil of the library”; others referred to him simply as Old Nick.

From The New Yorker