printer's devil
nounEtymology Of unclear etymology. The most widely accepted theories are that apprentice printers were often covered in ink, giving them a demonic appearance, or that they were responsible for errors in manuscripts and thus associated with Titivillus, the supposed devil of scribal errors. See Wikipedia for further details.
1
Dated An apprentice printer.
- The latest of the personal magazinettes to come under our observation is The East Side, a peculiarly New York product, of which Zoe Anderson Norris, of 338 East Fifteenth street, is printer's devil […]1909, The Independent, volume 67, page 711:
- Derived terms
- printer's devilry