hindmost

Every man for himself (and the devil take the hindmost), and Devil take the hindmost

Prov. Everyone has to fight for his or her own survival. (You can use this to describe an extremely competitive situation.) At first we tried to help each other study for the exam, but soon it was every man for himself, and the devil take the hindmost. The inventors tried to collaborate, agreeing to share the profits from their invention, but they grew so suspicious of each other that each began to work separately, and devil take the hindmost. When the ship began to sink, it was every man for himself.

See also: every, himself, man

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(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: devil, take

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every man for himself

each person here should do what is best for themselves In the world of politics, it's every man for himself.

Usage notes: usually used with it's, as in the example

See also: every, himself, man