devil (redirected from devil a)

better the devil you know (than the devil you don't)

something that you say to mean it is better to deal with a person or thing you know, even if you do not like them, than to deal with a new person or thing who could be even worse. I know Mike can be difficult to work with sometimes, but better the devil you know.

See also: better, know

between the devil and the deep blue sea

if you are between the devil and the deep blue sea, you must choose between two equally unpleasant situations. For most people a visit to the dentist is the result of a choice between the devil and the deep blue sea - if you go you suffer, and if you don't go you suffer.

See also: between, blue, deep, sea

The devil finds work for idle hands.

something that you say which means people who have no work or activity are more likely to do things they should not do, such as commit crimes. There's plenty more tidying to do if you've finished the bedroom. The devil finds work for idle hands.

See also: find, hand, idle, work

(let) the devil take the hindmost (old-fashioned)

something that you say to mean that you should only think about yourself and your own success and not care about other people. You've got to be tough to survive in this business - grab what you can and let the devil take the hindmost.

See also: take

devil-may-care (old-fashioned)

relaxed and not worried about the results of your actions. He had a rather devil-may-care attitude towards money which impressed me at the time.

give someone their due

something that you say when you want to describe someone's good qualities after they have done something wrong or after you have criticized them. She might be bad at writing letters but I'll give her her due, she always phones me at the end of the month. Geoff usually forgets my birthday, but give the devil his due, he always buys me a lovely Christmas present.

See also: due, give

Go to the devil! (old-fashioned)

an impolite way of telling someone to go away because you are annoyed with them. I told him that if he wasn't prepared to change his ideas he could go to the devil!

have the devil's own job doing something/to do something (old-fashioned)

to spend a long time trying to do something difficult. I had the devil's own job to find a parking space near here.

See also: job

have the devil's own luck (old-fashioned)

to be very lucky. He found a job and an apartment within a week - he really has the devil's own luck, that man.

See also: luck

have the luck of the devil (old-fashioned)

to be very lucky. Then he won £3000 on the lottery - that man has the luck of the devil!

See also: luck

play devil's advocate

to pretend to be against an idea or plan which a lot of people support in order to make people discuss it in more detail and think about it more carefully. I don't think he was really in favour of getting rid of the scheme, he was just playing devil's advocate. I know that most people here support the project, but let me play devil's advocate for a moment and ask if anyone has considered the cost?

See also: play

sell your soul (to the devil)

to do something bad in order to succeed or get money or power. As far as Mike was concerned, he badly wanted the job and he'd sell his soul to the devil to get it.

See also: sell, soul

speak/talk of the devil (humorous)

something that you say when a person you are talking about arrives and you are not expecting them. Apparently, Lisa went there and wasn't very impressed - oh, talk of the devil, here she is.

See also: speak, talk

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between the devil and the deep blue sea

having only two very unpleasant choices. Our country is caught between the devil and the deep blue sea — our leaders cause great suffering, but an invasion aimed at overthrowing them would bring many other problems.

Etymology: based on the idea of being trapped between a ship's devil (= a piece of wood or a joint on a wooden ship that is difficult to reach) and the water

See also: between, blue, deep, sea

give someone their due

to recognize something good about someone. This wonderful musician was finally given his due when he was honored at this year's jazz festival.

Usage notes: sometimes used in the form give something its due: It took more than 200 years to give the book its due, but it's now regarded as a classic.

See also: due, give

go to the devil

stop annoying me, I do not want to deal with you any more. The girl's father said if she didn't stop seeing "that boy," she could go to the devil for all he cared.

sell your soul (to the devil)

to accept immoral behavior in order to succeed. If the day comes when I begin to sell my soul like the other managers do, that's the day I'll quit.

Etymology: from the literal idea of exchanging your soul (= spirit) with the devil (= the origin of evil) to get something you want

See also: sell, soul

speak of the devil

the person we are talking about has just arrived. Well, speak of the devil, here's Patrick now.

See also: speak