ProverbPerseverance
International origin
International originOne must sometimes hold a candle to the devil.
Meaning: Pragmatic compromise with unsavory people or situations may be necessary to achieve important goals.
Origin: Medieval worshippers lit candles before the images of saints to honor them. To hold a candle to the devil was to show the same deference to evil — serving or flattering a wicked person for safety or gain. The proverb admits that this is sometimes the price of getting by.
Explore another collection: Tongue Twisters
Tricky phrases to practice out loud, from languages around the world.
- Um tigre, dois tigres, três tigres tristes triscam trigo num trigal. A 'tr' cluster drill that adds a sad adjective to make the alliteration worse.
- O papa papava o papo do pipo; o pipo papava o papo do papa. A perfectly palindromic 'p' construction that reverses meaning when you swap the nouns.
- На дворе трава, на траве дрова. (Na dvore trava, na trave drova.) A short but nasty 'tr/dr' blend — the consonant clusters that trip up every learner of Ru…
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