Word.ws English Dictionary

speak of the devil

speak of the devil phrase: an expression sometimes used when a person mentioned in the current conversation happens to arrive on the scene.

Phrase

speak of the devil

  1. (humorous, idiomatic) An expression sometimes used when a person mentioned in the current conversation happens to arrive on the scene.
    • A: You know who would appreciate this? Tom. B: Speak of the devil! Look who just walked in!
    Synonyms:
    speaking of

speak of the devil meaning in Indonesian and Thai

speak of the devil in Indonesian

expression used when a person mentioned in the current conversation happens to arrive
panjang umur

speak of the devil in Thai

expression used when a person mentioned in the current conversation happens to arrive
ตายยาก

Synonyms of speak of the devil

Forms of speak of the devil

alternative formtalk of the devil

Origin of speak of the devil

Ellipsis of speak of the devil and he shall appear, which can be traced back to “talk of the Devil, and he’s presently at your elbow”, attested in 1666. The idea behind this (namely, that mentioning a dangerous creature may cause it to appear) is found in many cultures around the world; see taboo avoidance.

Questions about speak of the devil

What does speak of the devil mean?
Speak of the devil means an expression sometimes used when a person mentioned in the current conversation happens to arrive on the scene.
What is speak of the devil in Indonesian?
Speak of the devil in Indonesian is panjang umur. See Speak of the devil meaning in Indonesian.
What part of speech is speak of the devil?
Speak of the devil is a phrase.

Words near speak of the devil in the dictionary

  1. speak in terms
  2. speak in tongues
  3. speak like a book
  4. speak now or forever hold your peace
  5. speak of
  6. speak of the devil
  7. speak of the devil and he appears
  8. speak of the devil and he shall appear
  9. speak one's conscience
  10. speak one's mind
  11. speak out

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: speak of the devil (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: En-au-speak of the devil.ogg.

Cite this entry: “speak of the devil.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/speak_of_the_devil. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.