Mephistophelean

1. Ruthlessly intelligent and cunning.

2. Cruel or evil.

Derived from Mephistophiles, the Devil figure in the German Faust legend.

The bank robbers planned the job with mephistophelean care.

He examined the wounded man with a mephistophelean gleam in his eye.

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Scotland's Shame

Refers to sectarian bigotry and violence in Scotland between the Protestant and Roman Catholic religious sects. It is intimately associated with Glasgow's biggest football teams, Celtic and Rangers: fans committing acts of violence are often called "Scotland's shame" by the press, players and managers.

The term is also often hijacked by each team to describe the other, as each sees the other as a traitor to the country's true identity.

The term was used by Scottish post-rock band Mogwai as the title for a song, in reference to the sectarian violence.

"It is intolerable that any club, or individual, going about their lawful business in the name of sport should be subjected to this ongoing campaign of hatred and intimidation. This is Scotland's shame and it is high time Scotland addressed it." - Peter Lawwel

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