A person who plays the devil’s advocate does so in order to expose weak points in a philosophy and therefore examine a matter more thoroughly. The Devil character's name is a direct homage to John Milton, who wrote Paradise Lost, quoted by Lomax with the line "Better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heav'n". don’t count your chickens before they hatch ❯, one who argues against something just for the sake of arguing, without actually being committed to the views, one who puts forward arguments against a proposition, even if they may actually agree with it, simply to test the validity of the proposition, someone who pretends to be against an idea or plan that many agree with, so that people may discuss it and consider other views, a person who disagrees with others solely for the sake of having a discussion on the issue. In this English lesson, I teach you a very interesting english expression -- Devil's Advocate. Meaning: an extremely peaceful atmosphere right before any serious incident or crisis, Example: The family's meeting on property dispute begins today and I'm just sitting down with a cup of coffee, enjoying the calm before the storm. don’t count your chickens before they hatch ❯❮ cut the mustard. Unlike some idioms, this one is also easily decoded.Sometimes idioms are so complicated and so rooted in contextual use, their words don’t have anything to do with their meaning. It turns out the “devil’s advocate” was an actual role in the Catholic Church, used primarily during canonization – the act when the Catholic Church declares someone a saint. 2. Let the devil take the hindmost; Devil is in the detail; If you lie down with the Devil, you will wake up in hell; Between the devil and the deep blue sea; Idle hands are the devil's handiwork; Devil finds work for … As god created it without sin. It can also mean one who presents a counter argument for a position they do believe in, to another debater. Chambers Harrap, 2012. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional. Devil’s advocate. A thought experiment: the pros and cons of "smart pills"--mind-enhancing pharmaceuticals--are weighed by students as an exercise in critical thinking, Innovation Roles: From Souls of Fire to Devil's Advocates, Decoding the standards: an insight into solving a complicated puzzle may be only a phone call away, Groupthink: deciding with the leader and the devil, EMDR: promise and dissent: new research enters debate over a highly touted trauma therapy, devil (someone or something) for (something), devil can quote Scripture for his own purpose, devil you know is better than the devil you don't know, the, devil you know is better than the devil you don't know. Refers to the "Advocatus Diaboli," a person employed by the Catholic Church to argue against the canonization of a saint (and therefore help determine if that person is truly worthy of sainthood). Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. Tom always plays devil's advocate in any given conversation because he loves picking apart other people's arguments. To describe someone as a Devil's advocate now is to suggest that they are mischievous and contradictory, being contrary for the sake of it. How do you propose the government fund such a massive undertaking? The variant is a couple of decades newer and its precise meaning depends on the context. Dent, Susie. devil's advocate - someone who takes the worse side just for the sake of argument. Idioms similar to 'Devil's advocate' Better the devil you know; Devil may care; Speak of the devil! Halloween Idioms Share Share Devil's advocate definition is - a Roman Catholic official whose duty is to examine critically the evidence on which a demand for beatification or canonization rests. The term 'Devil's advocate' was brought into English in the 18th century from the medieval Latin expression 'advocatus diaboli'. Encyclopedia Britannica, online edition. devil's advocate uncountable noun [also with det] If you play devil's advocate in a discussion or debate, you express an opinion which you may not agree with but which is very different to what other people have been saying, in order to make the argument more interesting. When you are playing the devil’s advocate, you are not actually against the argument you are opposing, but are simply trying to help establish its value by presenting an opposing argument, or to help a conversation … n. 1. a person who advocates an opposing view, as for the sake of argument. Learn more. by tired of the devil December 18, 2008 She just likes to play devil’s advocate. Devil's Advocate One who takes up the opposite argument to another person's statement or position, just to cause a problem for them. Argue for an opinion which you may not agree with in order to make an argument more interesting. Helen doesn’t really think that women shouldn’t go out to work. The advocatus diaboli (Latin for Devil's advocate) is a former official position within the Catholic Church, the Promoter of the Faith: one who "argued against the canonization (sainthood) of a candidate in order to uncover any character flaws or misrepresentation of the evidence favoring canonization". I agree with Joachim Sauer. 2. an official of the Roman Catholic Church whose duty is to argue against a proposed beatification or canonization. Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. This is done to properly justify the merits of the candidate. This is very helpful for me. Despite this, the thrust of Milton's epic was to rebuke the devil. Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary, the webmaster's page for free fun content, PLAYING THE DEVIL'S ADVOCATE CAN LEAD TO BAD DECISION-MAKING. The expression describes someone who argues against a point for the purpose of testing the argument for flaws or weaknesses. English Idiom – To Play Devil’s Advocate Meaning – To express an opposing or unpopular point of view for the sake of argument. devil of a devil of a Also, one devil or the devil of a; hell of a.Infernally annoying or difficult, as in This is a devil of an assembly job, or She had one devil of a time getting through the traffic, or I had a hell of a morning sitting in that doctor's office. Leviathan is not a demon name for envy. One who argues against a cause or position either for the sake of argument or to help determine its validity. @Fatima Savoy… it’s not a noun and verb combination… that would give the phrase a completely different meaning if it was…, Someone said it was a noun and a verb put together… that’s verb usage would be “The Devils AdvoCATE” the verb is pronounced “Add-Voe-Kate” as opposed to the term in English (strangely enough) spelled the same way advocate pronounced “Add-Voe-Kit”… which is a noun… the verb usage would’ve describing a group of devils advocating for something as opposed to a singular position / someone who occupies the role of advocating for the “devil”, the “S” at the end of devils in this case being possessive not plural…English is confusing if even as a first language…sorry to all the people who have to learn it as a second. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc. Translations. 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