The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word LUCIFER
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
L
U
C
I
F
E
R
More clues leading to the result LUCIFER
- Match the Devil
- Nick the match
- Hellish master provided in cruel twist
- Cryptic clue about providing radical Morning Star
- It was a match for Satan
- Devil is cruel, if disturbed
- Devil of a match!
- Wicked, if cruel — is he?
- The devil’s bunch regularly occupying prisoner
- Match official on pitch current couple occasionally upset
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "The devil’" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case the devil’ = lucifer.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does LUCIFER mean?
LUCIFER noun- A self-igniting match, ie. one which could be lit by striking on any surface (as opposed to safety matches which only light against the material on the side of the box).