speak of the devil

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Ellipsis of speak of the devil and he shall appear, which can be traced back to “talk of the Devil, and he’s presently at your elbow”, attested in 1666. The idea behind this (namely, that mentioning a dangerous creature may cause it to appear) is found in many cultures around the world; see taboo avoidance.

63 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Azerbaijani: adını çək, qulağını bur — expression used when a person mentioned in the current conversation happens to arrive
• Basque: otsoa aipatu, otsoa agertu — expression used when a person mentioned in the current conversation happens to arrive
• Catalan: parlant del rei de Roma, entra per la porta — expression used when a person mentioned in the current conversation happens to arrive
• Catalan: no es pot dir mal que no aparegui el animal — expression used when a person mentioned in the current conversation happens to arrive
• Chinese Mandarin: 說曹操,曹操到 /说曹操 — expression used when a person mentioned in the current conversation happens to arrive
• Chinese Cantonese: 一講曹操,曹操就到 /一讲曹操 — expression used when a person mentioned in the current conversation happens to arrive
• Chinese Cantonese: 曹操就到 (jat1 gong2 cou4 cou1, cou4 cou1 zau6 dou3) — expression used when a person mentioned in the current conversation happens to arrive
• Chinese Cantonese: 說曹操,曹操到 /说曹操 — expression used when a person mentioned in the current conversation happens to arrive
• Chinese Cantonese: 曹操到 (syut3 cou4 cou1, cou4 cou1 dou3) — expression used when a person mentioned in the current conversation happens to arrive
• Czech: my o vlku a vlk za dveřmi — expression used when a person mentioned in the current conversation happens to arrive
• Czech: my o vlku a vlk za humny — expression used when a person mentioned in the current conversation happens to arrive
• Danish: når man taler om solen — expression used when a person mentioned in the current conversation happens to arrive
• Dutch: als je het over de duivel hebt, dan zie je zijn staart — expression used when a person mentioned in the current conversation happens to arrive
• Esperanto: pri la lupo rakonto, kaj la lupo renkonte — expression used when a person mentioned in the current conversation happens to arrive
• Estonian: kus hundist juttu — expression used when a person mentioned in the current conversation happens to arrive
• Finnish: siinä paha missä mainitaan — expression used when a person mentioned in the current conversation happens to arrive
• French: quand on parle du loup, on en voit la queue — expression used when a person mentioned in the current conversation happens to arrive
• French: quand on parle du loup — expression used when a person mentioned in the current conversation happens to arrive
• Friulian: tu fevelis dal diàul e vegnin fûr i cuars! — expression used when a person mentioned in the current conversation happens to arrive
• Georgian: ძაღლი ახსენე და ჯოხი ხელში დაიჭირეო (ʒaɣli axsene da ǯoxi xelši daič̣ireo) — expression used when a person mentioned in the current conversation happens to arrive
• German: wenn man vom Teufel spricht, dann kommt er — expression used when a person mentioned in the current conversation happens to arrive
• German: wenn man vom Teufel spricht, dann ist er nicht weit — expression used when a person mentioned in the current conversation happens to arrive
• Hungarian: ne fesd az ördögöt a falra, mert megjelenik — expression used when a person mentioned in the current conversation happens to arrive
• Icelandic: oft kemur illur — expression used when a person mentioned in the current conversation happens to arrive
• Icelandic: oft kemur illur þá um er rætt — expression used when a person mentioned in the current conversation happens to arrive
• Icelandic: oft kemur illur þá getið er — expression used when a person mentioned in the current conversation happens to arrive
• Icelandic: oft kemur góður þá getið er og illur þá um er rætt — expression used when a person mentioned in the current conversation happens to arrive
• Indonesian: panjang umur — expression used when a person mentioned in the current conversation happens to arrive
• Irish: tagann gach aon rud lena iomrá ach madadh rua agus marbhán — expression used when a person mentioned in the current conversation happens to arrive
• Italian: parli del diavolo e spuntano le corna — expression used when a person mentioned in the current conversation happens to arrive
• Japanese: 噂をすれば (uwasa o sureba) — expression used when a person mentioned in the current conversation happens to arrive
• Japanese: 噂をすれば影 (uwasa o sureba kage) — expression used when a person mentioned in the current conversation happens to arrive
• Japanese: 噂をすれば影がさす (uwasa o sureba kage ga sasu) — expression used when a person mentioned in the current conversation happens to arrive
• Korean: 호랑이도 제 말 하면 온다 (horang'i-do je mal hamyeon onda) — expression used when a person mentioned in the current conversation happens to arrive
• Latin: lupus in fābulā — expression used when a person mentioned in the current conversation happens to arrive
• Latin: lupus in sermōne — expression used when a person mentioned in the current conversation happens to arrive
• Lithuanian: vilką minim, vilkas čia — expression used when a person mentioned in the current conversation happens to arrive
• Macedonian: ни́е за во́лкот, во́лкот на́ врата (níe za vólkot, vólkot ná vrata) — expression used when a person mentioned in the current conversation happens to arrive
• Norwegian: snakke om sola — expression used when a person mentioned in the current conversation happens to arrive
• Norwegian: når man snakker om sola — expression used when a person mentioned in the current conversation happens to arrive
• Polish: o wilku mowa — expression used when a person mentioned in the current conversation happens to arrive
• Polish: o wilku mowa, a wilk tu — expression used when a person mentioned in the current conversation happens to arrive
• Portuguese: falando do diabo (aparece o rabo) — expression used when a person mentioned in the current conversation happens to arrive
• Romanian: vorbești de lup și lupul la ușă — expression used when a person mentioned in the current conversation happens to arrive
• Russian: лёгок на поми́не (ljógok na pomíne) — expression used when a person mentioned in the current conversation happens to arrive
• Russian: про се́рого речь, а се́рый навстре́чь (pro sérovo rečʹ, a séryj navstréčʹ) — expression used when a person mentioned in the current conversation happens to arrive
• Russian: о во́лке помо́лвка, а волк и тут (o vólke pomólvka, a volk i tut) — expression used when a person mentioned in the current conversation happens to arrive
• Scottish Gaelic: thig an donas ri iomradh — expression used when a person mentioned in the current conversation happens to arrive
• Serbo-Croatian: ми о вуку — expression used when a person mentioned in the current conversation happens to arrive
• Serbo-Croatian: ми о вуку а вук на врата — expression used when a person mentioned in the current conversation happens to arrive
• Serbo-Croatian: mi o vuku — expression used when a person mentioned in the current conversation happens to arrive
• Serbo-Croatian: mi o vuku a vuk na vrata — expression used when a person mentioned in the current conversation happens to arrive
• Slovene: ti o volku volk iz gozda — expression used when a person mentioned in the current conversation happens to arrive
• Spanish: habla del rey de Roma, y asoma — expression used when a person mentioned in the current conversation happens to arrive
• Spanish: hablando del rey de Roma — expression used when a person mentioned in the current conversation happens to arrive
• Swedish: tala om trollen — expression used when a person mentioned in the current conversation happens to arrive
• Swedish: när man talar om trollen — expression used when a person mentioned in the current conversation happens to arrive
• Thai: ตายยาก — expression used when a person mentioned in the current conversation happens to arrive
• Turkish: iti an, çomağı hazırla — expression used when a person mentioned in the current conversation happens to arrive
• Uzbek: boʻrini gapirsang qulogʻi koʻrinadi — expression used when a person mentioned in the current conversation happens to arrive
• Welsh: sonier am ddiawl, fe ymddengys y cythraul — expression used when a person mentioned in the current conversation happens to arrive
• Yiddish: מע זאָל נאָר דערמאָנען משיחן (me zol nor dermonen meshiekhn) — expression used when a person mentioned in the current conversation happens to arrive
• Zazaki: merdım yeno qısey ser — expression used when a person mentioned in the current conversation happens to arrive