Speak of the Devil
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"Speak of the Devil" is a phrase or idiom used in both written and spoken English. It is used when an object of discussion (normally a person) unexpectedly becomes present during the conversation. For example, if two people are sitting in a room discussing an absent third person, and that person walks into the room, one of the first two people might say, "Speak of the devil!"
It can also be used about a topic that quickly becomes relevant, such as the onset of rain or a car breaking down. Used in this sense it can be seen as an alternative to the phrase "tempting fate".
The phrase is an abbreviation of the Italian proverb which runs, "Speak of the devil and he shall appear."
Speak of the Devil is also used as a title for the following:
- Speak of the Devil, a 1982 live album by English heavy metal musician Ozzy Osbourne
- Speak of the Devil, a 1993 album by American jazzist John Abercrombie
- Speak of the Devil, a 1998 album by American indie rock artist Chris Isaak
- Speak of the Devil, a 1995 documentary about the Church of Satan and its founder, Anton LaVey, directed by Nick Bougas
- Speak of the Devil, a Duke University all-male a cappella Group founded in 1991 by Walter Moore ('93) and Preston Kim('93).
[edit] In other languages
In Spanish, "Hablando del rey de Roma" (literally "speaking of the king of Rome") is an equivalent.
The Mandarin Chinese equivalent is 说曹操,曹操到 (Pinyin: "shuō Cáo Cāo, Cáo Cāo dào"), which translates as "Speak of Cao Cao and Cao Cao arrives."
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