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| {{Short description|English idiom}} | |||
| {{This|the idiom|Speak of the Devil (disambiguation)}} | |||
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{{other uses|Speak of the Devil (disambiguation)}} | ||
| {{redirect|Talk of the devil}} | |||
| {{more citations needed|date=April 2020}} | |||
| {{Wiktionary|speak of the devil}} | |||
| "'''Speak of the devil'''" is the short form of the ] "'''Speak of the devil and he doth appear'''" (or its alternative form "'''speak of the devil and he shall appear'''"). The form "'''talk of the devil'''" is also in use in the United Kingdom.<ref name=PhF>{{Cite web|url=https://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/speak-of-the-devil.html|title='Speak of the Devil' - the meaning and origin of this phrase|first=Gary|last=Martin|website=Phrasefinder|date=11 December 2023 }}</ref> It is used when an object of discussion unexpectedly becomes present during the conversation. | |||
| ⚫ | It can also be used about a topic that quickly becomes relevant, such as the onset of rain or a car breaking down. | ||
| A cognate of this phrase appears in the 15th century Chinese novel ] as 说曹操，曹操到 or "Speak of Cao Cao, Cao Cao arrives".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.echineselearning.com/blog/shuo-cao-cao-cao-cao-dao-speak-of-the-devil-and-he-appears#:~:text=The%20phrase%20refers%20to%20the,it%20refers%20to%20any%20person. | title=Chinese Culture︱Story - 说曹操，曹操到 - eChineseLearning | date=12 January 2010 }}</ref> | |||
| "'''Speak of the ]'''" is the short form of an ] or ] used in both written and spoken ]: "Speak of the devil and he doth appear". It is used when an object of discussion (normally a person) unexpectedly becomes present during the conversation. For example, if ] start discussing Charlie while he isn't in the room, and Charlie walks into the room, Alice or Bob might say, "Speak of the devil!" | |||
| In many cultures a different, dangerous, person or character is referenced in the phrase. In Serbian, the phrase translates to, "Speak of the wolf and he is at your door." French translates it to "Speak of the wolf and you see its tail". In Scandinavia it's "When you speak of the trolls, they're in the hallway". | |||
| ⚫ | It can also be used about a topic that quickly becomes relevant, such as the onset of rain or a car breaking down |
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| The phrase is an abbreviation of English ], "Speak of the devil and he doth appear." Deriving from the Middle Ages, this proverb (which was, and to a certain extent still is, rendered as "''Talk'' of the Devil...") was a superstitious prohibition against speaking directly of the Devil or of evil in general, which was considered to incite that party to appear, generally with unfortunate consequences. Its first printed usage in modern English can be found in Giovanni Torriano's ''Piazza Universale'' (1666), as "The English say, ''Talk of the Devil, and he's presently at your elbow''." | |||
| The phrase lost its overt message during the 19th century, during which it became a warning against eavesdroppers ("No good of himself does a listener hear,/Speak of the devil he's sure to appear"), and by the 20th century had taken on its present meaning. | |||
| ==In other languages== | |||
| *]: "عمرك طويل", which translates to "A long life for you, whom we spoke of." | |||
| *]: "Говорим за вълка, а той - в кошарата", (''Govorim za vulka, a toi - v kosharata'') translated as "Speak of the wolf and it is at the door)." | |||
| *]: 说曹操,曹操到 (]: "shuō Cáo Cāo, Cáo Cāo dào"), which translates as "Speak of ] and Cao Cao arrives." | |||
| *]: "Mi o vuku, a vuk na vrata", which translates to "When we talk about the wolf, he stands behind the door." | |||
| *]: "My o vlku, a vlk za dveřmi", which translates to "Speak of the wolf, and he will stand just outside the door." | |||
| *]: "Når man taler om solen, så skinner den", which translates to "When you speak of the sun, it shines.". | |||
| *]: "Als je het over de duivel hebt, trap je op zijn staart", which translates to "If you speak of the devil, you will step on his tail." | |||
| *]: "Hablando del rey de Roma" which translates to "Speaking of the King of Rome". | |||
| *]: "Siinä paha missä mainitaan", which translates to "Evil is where it's mentioned." | |||
| *]: "Quand on parle du loup, (on en voit la queue)", which translates to "When one speaks of the wolf, (one sees its tail)." | |||
| *]: "Wenn man vom Teufel spricht..." (speak of the devil) and (older and less common) "Wird der Teufel genannt, kommt er gerannt" translating "call/name the devil and he comes running", both used like the English counterpart. | |||
| *]: "Κατά φωνή κι ο γάιδαρος" (''Katá foní ki o gáidaros''), usually shortened to "Κατά φωνή..." (''"Katá foní..."'' "Speak of..."). The literal meaning is "Speak of the donkey". | |||
| *]: "מדברים על החמור, והנה הוא בא", "M'dabrim 'al ha-khamor, ve-hinei hu ba" - "Talking about the donkey, and here it comes". Typically shortened to just "M'dabrim 'al ha-khamor..." | |||
| *] (] and ]): "Shaitan ka na'am lo, shaitan hazir" which translates to "Speak of the devil, and he will appear." | |||
| *]: "Ne fesd az ördögöt a falra, mert megjelenik." which translates to "Don't paint the devil on the wall or he will appear." | |||
| **However this is mostly used when talking about a possible negative outcome of an event. When talking about a person, "Emlegetett szamár..." is used. | |||
| *]: "Wah, panjang umur dia" which translates to "A long life for you, whom we spoke of." | |||
| *]: "Parli del diavolo e spuntano le corna", which translates as "Talk of the Devil and the horns will appear." | |||
| *]: "うわさをすれば影” (uwasa o sureba kage), which translates to "Gossip (about someone) and he will appear." | |||
| *]: "호랑이도 제 말하면 온다” (horangi do jae malhamyun onda), which translates to "If you talk about a tiger, it will appear." | |||
| *]: "Kā vilku piemin, tā vilks klāt", which translates to "When you speak of the wolf, it arrives." | |||
| *]: "Snakker om sola, så skinner'n", which translates to "Speak of the sun, and it shines." | |||
| *]: "حلال زاده بود", "Halal zade bud", which translates to "He (or she) is a legitimate child." | |||
| *]: "O wilku mowa, (a wilk tuż tuż).", which translates to "Speak of the wolf (and the wolf is nearby)." | |||
| *]: "Falando do rei de Roma," which translates to "speaking of the king of Rome", or "Falando do Diabo...(apareceu o rabo)", which translates "Speak of the devil (his tail appears)". | |||
| *]: "Vorbeşti de lup şi lupul la uşă", translated as "Speak of the wolf and the wolf at the door." | |||
| *]: "Помяни чёрта(, он и появится)", (''Pomyani chorta, on i poyavitsya'') translated as "Speak of the devil (and there he is)." | |||
| *]: "Ми о вуку, (вук на врата)", (''Mi o vuku, vuk na vrata'') translated as "Speak of the wolf (and the wolf at the door)." | |||
| *]: "Mi o volku, (volk iz gozda)", translated as "Speak of the wolf (and the wolf comes from the forest)." | |||
| *]: "Hablando del rey de Roma" (literally "Speaking of the ]") is an equivalent, also an abbreviation, in this case of "Hablando del Rey de Roma, por la ventana se asoma" (Speaking of the King of Rome, through the window he appears). | |||
| *]: "När man talar om trollen (så står de i farstun)", which translates to "When you speak of the ] (they stand in the entrance hall)." | |||
| *]: "İti an çomağı hazırla", which translates to "Speak of the dog, have the stick handy." | |||
| *]: "Про вовка промовка, а вовк у хату", (''Pro vovka promovka, a vovk u hatu'') which translates to "A word about wolf, and wolf comes to a house" | |||
| *]: "Shaitan ka naam liya or Shaitaan hazir", which translates to "uttered about satan and satan is here" | |||
| *]: "Vừa nhắc Tào Tháo, Tào Tháo tới", which translates to "Speak of Tào Tháo and he appears immediately" (An adaptation of the Chinese proverb, Tào Tháo being the Vietnamese name of ]) | |||
| ==Sources== | |||
| Bulgarian: "Говорим за вълка, а той - в кошарата", (Govorim za vulka, a toi - v kosharata) translated as "Speak of the wolf and it is already in the fold/barn)." | |||
| ==References== | |||
| {{reflist}} | |||
| {{vocab-stub}} | |||
| {{DEFAULTSORT:Speak Of The Devil}} | {{DEFAULTSORT:Speak Of The Devil}} | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| Spanish: Hablando del Rey de Roma (expresion idiomatica/coloquial) | |||
Latest revision as of 02:50, 23 November 2024
English idiom For other uses, see Speak of the Devil (disambiguation). "Talk of the devil" redirects here. For other uses, see Talk of the devil (disambiguation). | This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Speak of the devil" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (April 2020) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
"Speak of the devil" is the short form of the English-language idiom "Speak of the devil and he doth appear" (or its alternative form "speak of the devil and he shall appear"). The form "talk of the devil" is also in use in the United Kingdom. It is used when an object of discussion unexpectedly becomes present during the conversation. It can also be used about a topic that quickly becomes relevant, such as the onset of rain or a car breaking down.
A cognate of this phrase appears in the 15th century Chinese novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms as 说曹操，曹操到 or "Speak of Cao Cao, Cao Cao arrives".
In many cultures a different, dangerous, person or character is referenced in the phrase. In Serbian, the phrase translates to, "Speak of the wolf and he is at your door." French translates it to "Speak of the wolf and you see its tail". In Scandinavia it's "When you speak of the trolls, they're in the hallway".
References
- Martin, Gary (11 December 2023). "'Speak of the Devil' - the meaning and origin of this phrase". Phrasefinder.
- "Chinese Culture︱Story - 说曹操，曹操到 - eChineseLearning". 12 January 2010.
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