printer's devil

noun

1. devil ( def 5 ).

printer's devil

noun

1. an apprentice or errand boy in a printing establishment

Word History and Origins

Origin of printer's devil¹

First recorded in 1755–65

Example Sentences

My newspaper career began at age 16 as a printer’s devil — cleaning presses, melting Linotype lead — for the weekly Ojai Valley News.

From Los Angeles Times

“I definitely learned that working with Printer’s Devil.”

From Seattle Times

“Backwards into China” was produced by Printer’s Devil Theater, a stalwart of Seattle’s fringe scene in the late ’90s and early 2000s, alongside more venerable institutions Annex Theatre and Empty Space Theatre.

From Seattle Times

After a post-college sojourn to Russia, where she worked as a journalist, Schreck moved to Seattle and joined Printer’s Devil.

From Seattle Times

Fagan and Willis recall Printer’s Devil as a scrappy company that could thrive in a pre-tech-boom Seattle where rents were cheap and arts grants were plentiful.

From Seattle Times