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Definition: Something bad but known is better than something unknown. This proverb, often shortened to “better the devil you know,” describes how to deal with something unpleasant. The “devil” could be any bad person, place, or thing.
17 lug 2023 · The full expression is actually "better the devil you know than the devil you don't." It suggests that it is often better to deal with a familiar person or situation (even if they are difficult or unpleasant) than to risk dealing with an unfamiliar person or situation that could turn out to be even worse.
This is a shortened version of the old proverb, ‘better the devil you know than the devil you don’t.’ This proverb is related to the Latin proverb, expressed in 1539 in Proverbs or Adages out of Erasmus by R. Taverner, “nota res mala, opima,” which means “an evil thing known is best.”
The meaning of BETTER THE DEVIL YOU KNOW THAN THE DEVIL YOU DON'T is —used to say that it is better to deal with a difficult person or situation one knows than with a new person or situation that could be worse.
the devil you know. A shortening of the proverb "better the devil you know than the devil you don't," meaning that, when forced to decide, it's better to choose a difficult or undesirable option that one is used to or familiar with rather than an unknown person or thing.
Idiom: Better the devil you know. Meaning: This is the shortened form of the full idiom, 'better the devil you know than the devil you don't', and means that it is often better to deal with someone or something you are familiar with and know, even if they are not ideal, than take a risk with an unknown person or thing.
better the devil you know (than the devil you don't) idiom saying. Add to word list. said when you think it is wiser to deal with someone or something familiar, although you do not like him, her, or it, than to deal with someone or something you do not know that might be worse. SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases. Cautious and vigilant.
