play devil's advocate
Meaning: To argue against something, not out of belief, but to test the argument.
Language: English
Literally: (Already vivid in English)
Example: “I love the idea, but let me play devil's advocate: who pays for it?”
Category: Daily Life
Origin: From the Catholic Church, where the "advocatus diaboli" was the official whose role was to argue against a candidate for sainthood. The office was formalized in the 16th century; the figurative English use dates from the 18th century.
Equivalents in other languages
- Spanish: llevar la contraria — literally: to carry the contrary
- French: L'avocat du diable — literally: The devil's advocate
More idioms — Daily Life
- every which way — In all directions, in disorder.
- long time no see — A friendly greeting to someone one has not seen for a long time.
- a Judas kiss — An act of apparent friendship that hides betrayal.
- the ball is in your court — It is now your turn to act or decide.
- all hands on deck — Everyone is needed to help right now.
- pick holes in — To find small faults in something, often unfairly.
More English idioms
- a Tower of Babel — A noisy scene where many people speak different languages, or a confusion of voices.
- a banana republic — A small, politically unstable country dominated by a corrupt elite or foreign business.
- go under the knife — To have a surgical operation.
- take someone down a peg — To make an arrogant person more humble.
- you can take the boy out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the boy — People keep the habits and character of where they grew up.
- go to Canossa — To humble oneself and submit to an opponent.
From our tongue twisters
- How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood? — A 'w/ch/ck' drill that accelerates comically — and nobody really knows the answer.
- The sixth sick sheikh's sixth sheep's sick. — Believed by Guinness to be among the hardest in English — 'six/sick/sheikh/sheep' blur in…
- Betty Botter bought some butter, but she said the butter's bitter. — A 'b / t / tt' plosive drill that bounces between Betty, butter, and bitter.