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DEVILSTRIP [1 record]

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Alphabetical list of terms

Record 1 2005-10-14

English

Subject field(s)
  • Urban Planning
CONT

[The Dictionary of American Regional English] notes a similar term "devil's lane," first appearing around 1872, meaning the unusable strip of land between two parallel fences, often the result of neighbors being unable to agree on a common fence. And another term, "devil's footstep," dates back to around 1860 and means "a spot of barren ground." So it's not surprising that a strip of land next to the street, unusable by anyone, would be christened the "devil strip."

OBS

According to The Dictionary of American Regional English (DARE), which pays close attention to such local lingo, "devil strip" is heard almost exclusively in Northeastern Ohio, up around Akron. DARE suggests that the term may arise from the strip's legal status as a sort of "no man's land" between public and private property.

Key term(s)
  • devilstrip

French

Domaine(s)
  • Aménagement urbain
OBS

entrevoie : Cette graphie, puisée des Rectifications de l'orthographe recommandées par le Conseil supérieur de la langue française, est attestée dans le Petit Robert (2004).

Spanish

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