Old Nick in the part of Desdemona (5)

I believe the answer is:

demon

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'old nick' is the definition.
The definition and answer can be both people as well as being singular nouns.
Perhaps you can see an association between them that I can't see?

'part of desdemona' is the wordplay.
'part of' indicates a hidden word.
'DEMON' is hidden within 'desdemona'.

'in the' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for demon that I've seen before include "ace" , "Evil spirit, devil" , "Evil spirit or cruel person" , "Evildoer" , "malignant spirit" .)

I've seen this clue in The Irish Independent.

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