ProverbChallengeEnglish origin

It's an ill battle where the devil carries the colours.

Meaning: When evil forces lead the fight, victory itself becomes a moral defeat for all sides involved.

Origin: Recorded in A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases, an undated collection published in London by Whittaker & Co. around 1880 and credited to Thomas Preston. Its earlier history hasn't been traced.

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