This week Shauna and Dan decide to Speak of the Devil. Or sometimes, Talk of the Devil. Which do you say when someone you were just talking about shows up? Bonus: The devil has rattling bones and Dan hates horror games.
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Bunny Trails: A Word History Podcast
Episode 227: Speak of the Devil
Record Date: March 10, 2024
Air Date: March 13, 2024
Intro
Dan:
Welcome to Bunny Trails, a whimsical adventure of idioms and other turns of phrase.
I’m Dan Pugh
Shauna:
And I’m Shauna Harrison
Each week we take an idiom or other turn of phrase and try to tell the story from its entry into the English language, to how it’s used today.
Opening Hook
Just the other day, my co-worker and I were discussing a mutual friend we hadn’t seen in over a year. She likes to travel, often driving her RV across multiple states to see the various wonders of the outdoors. As we were imagining what national park she might be visiting, my co-worker got a phone call. When she looked to see who was calling, she remarked, “Well, speak of the devil!”
Meaning
As it turns out, it was our friend calling her. This expression often comes with a rejoinder…
Speak of the devil and he shall appear.
According to Oxford English Dictionary,
Quote
speak (also talk) of the devil, and he will appear and variants: said when a person appears just after being mentioned. Frequently shortened to speak (also talk) of the devil.
End quote
https://www.oed.com/dictionary/devil_n?tab=meaning_and_use#6862848
The phrase is also used as a warning for tempting fate… such as mentioning concern at something going wrong on a road trip and then getting a flat tire.
This phrase goes pretty far back in history. The concept began showing up in print by the late 1500s and we find
The first item we are going to look at is from John Lyly's 1591 play Endimion, Act I, Scene III.
Quote
Oh, that we had Sir Tophas, that brave squire, in the midst of our mirth,-et ecce autem, "Will you see the Devil",—
Enter at the opposite side of the stage Sir TOPHAS and EPI.
End quote
https://www.oed.com/dictionary/devil_n?tab=meaning_and_use#6862848
https://www.google.com/books/edition/Endymion_the_Man_in_the_Moon/xHkLAAAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=devil
The Latin phrase et ecce autem is an interjection and when used as a transition as in this excerpt, it is indicating a new thought or topic or to call attention to something. In this case, we can interpret this as, And behold, you will see the devil.
The author of Endymion was a playwright whose works were regularly performed for Queen Elizabeth. John Lyly’s style of prose writing sort of paved the way for other poets some of whom became the most popular of all time such as Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare. Endymion was a comedy and it would have been seen by a wide range of audiences. It was originally written in 1588. Because this was a comedy, the excerpt may have been a witty turn of phrase but it was expected that the crowd would understand what was meant by it.
By the 1600s, the phrase was in wide usage. Here is one example of its appearance in, A Collection of English Proverbs: Digested Into a Convenient Method for the Speedy Finding Any One Upon Occasion; with Short Annotations. Whereunto are Added Local Proverbs with Their Explications, Old Proverbial Rhythmes, Less Known Or Exotick Proverbial Sentences, and Scottish Proverbs. The Second Edition Enlarged by the Addition of Many Hundred English, and an Appendix of Hebrew Proverbs, with Annotations and Parallels
By John Ray · 1678
Quote
Talk of the Devil and he’ll either come or send.
End quote
https://www.google.com/books/edition/A_Collection_of_English_Proverbs/rnlQoxh95VMC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22talk+of+the+devil%22&pg=PA125&printsec=frontcover
This same work includes a list of proverbial phrases about the Devil. Some of these are pretty interesting and we’ll read a few of them in our behind-the-scenes which airs every Friday on Patreon.
Dan:
That’s patreon.com/bunnytrailspod.
Shauna:
One of these proverbs relates to the leading theory for our phrase’s origin.
Quote
The Devil is never nearer than when we are talking of him.
End quote
This idea is shared on many sites online as the origin of the phrase Speak of the Devil. It is a long-held superstition that it is risky or dangerous to mention the Devil or to dwell on thoughts of the Devil. And it has been forbidden to speak of the Devil at certain points in history and in various places around the world. The concept here is that discussing the Devil, using the Devil’s name, or asking questions about or to the Devil will result in the Devil showing up in one’s life. It may also result in the Devil’s influence over one’s life or in his minions getting involved in one’s life.
While it makes sense for this idea to have led to the phrase’s existence, there isn’t a lot of evidence that this is the linguistic origin of the phrase.
An additional point to make here is that this reference lists the two phrases separately. So at least as far back as the 1600s, the two ideas were used in two different ways.
Searches of speak or talk of the devil in the 1700s return numerous results from speeches, political writings, and sermons as well as reference materials.
This one is from Dictionarium Britannicum by Nathan Bailey, George Gordon, Philip Miller, Thomas Lediard, published in 1736.
Quote
Talk of the DEVIL and he'll (or his Imps will) appear
The French say: Quand on parle du Loup, on en voit la Queue. (Talk of the Wolf, and you'll see his Tail.) L. Lupus in Fabula.
High German: enn man den wolf uennt, so kommer gerennt.
This silly saying is made use of, when a person whom we have just before been speaking of, comes accidentally into one's company
End quote
https://www.google.com/books/edition/Dictionarium_Britannicum/gvEwAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22talk+of+the+devil%22&pg=PP291&printsec=frontcover
The German phrase in the excerpt translates essentially to When one calls the wolf, then it comes running. This is further evidence that the phrase is being connected more to the idea of something or someone showing up after being spoken of rather than the focus being on the Devil.
The phrase focusing on the Devil and conversing with him or seeking him in some way does overlap in time with ours but is used less frequently today. However, occasionally, it is found in print as some variant of, Talk with the Devil, and he will be at your elbow.
Up next, we move to the 1800s to look at part of a story shared in the Rutland herald out of Rutland, Vermont April 14, 1840.
Quote
They soon brightened and grew talkative when they discovered that I was in search of hands to fell and burn, and make clearing for a farm; and, after a talk of an hour or two, I was told, in answer to my inquiries, that all the "men people" in the country were busy " lumbering for themselves," unless it were-the "Picker and Piler."
As the words were pronounced, a shrill neigh outside the door pronounced the arrival of a newcomer.
"Talk of the devil-"said the man in a lower tone; and, without finishing the proverb, he rose with a respect which he had not accorded to me, to make room for the Picker and Piler.
End quote
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84022355/1840-04-14/ed-1/seq-1/#date1=1800&index=2&rows=20&searchType=advanced&language=&sequence=0&words=devil+Talk&proxdistance=5&date2=1850&ortext=&proxtext=&phrasetext=talk+of+the+devil&andtext=&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1
The phrase made its way into ads, advice, and funnies sections of newspapers by the early 1900s.
Here is one example when the phrase was just added randomly as an independent remark or adage in the Pine Bluff Daily Graphic., May 07, 1902, out of Pine Bluff, Arkansas.
Quote
Talk of the devil and you hear his bones rattle.
End quote
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn89051168/1902-05-07/ed-1/seq-6/#date1=1900&index=2&rows=20&searchType=advanced&language=&sequence=0&words=devil+Talk&proxdistance=5&date2=1920&ortext=&proxtext=&phrasetext=talk+of+the+devil&andtext=&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1
Included in the New Attractions section of the Evening Public Ledger May 15, 1920 out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is a listing of stage productions.
Quote
"Speak of the Devil," by Augustus Thomas, one of the most distinguished native dramatists. Lou Tellegen, well-known on the screen as lead for his wife, Geraldine Farrar, and on the stage as leading man for Madame Bernhardt, is the star. He appears in the role of a French soldier dispatched on a post-war mission to the United States, whose romance with an American nurse is revived.
End quote
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045211/1920-05-15/ed-1/seq-16/#date1=1900&sort=relevance&date2=1920&searchType=advanced&language=&sequence=0&index=9&words=Devil+Speak&proxdistance=5&rows=20&ortext=&proxtext=&phrasetext=speak+of+the+devil&andtext=&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=2
The phrase appears in the comic strip On Stage by Leonard Starr in the Evening star, October 28, 1960, out of Washington, D.C. In the strip two characters are discussing how to get ahold of a man named Jonah including where they might find his contact information. In the last frame, another character comes in a says,
Quote
Speak of the Devil, Jonah’s on the phone!
End quote
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1960-10-28/ed-1/seq-57/#date1=1930&index=3&rows=20&searchType=advanced&language=&sequence=0&words=DEVIL+SPEAK&proxdistance=5&date2=1963&ortext=&proxtext=&phrasetext=speak+of+the+devil&andtext=&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1
Alright, we’re ready for our modern uses, right after we say thank you to our sponsors.
A Quick Thank You
This episode is sponsored by our amazing Patrons on Patreon. And the cool thing about Patreon is it is 100% free to join the Bunny Trails community!
We have new things every weekday on the feeds, including a conversation about what everyone is reading, early access to the show, patron’s only polls, and our behind the scenes video which always includes a little about our week before the show and a cool feature after the show.
We’ve got some other pretty cool stuff, too, like Original Digital Artwork once a month, made by Shauna, and awesome name recognition like Pat Rowe gets every episode. And our top spot is currently occupied by the amazing Mary Halsig Lopez.
You can join the Bunny Trails community for free at bunnytrailspod on Patreon.
That’s www.patreon.com/bunnytrailspod
Modern Uses
Not surprisingly, this phrase is quite popular amongst musicians. Probably the most notable is the 1982 album Speak of the Devil by Ozzy Osborne. A cool aspect of this album is that it featured live recordings from the 1970s of Ozzy’s performances alongside Black Sabbath. Interestingly, this album was released as Talk of the Devil in the UK.
https://www.black-sabbath.com/discography/ozzy/speakofthedevil/
Talk of the Devil: Encounters with Seven Dictators is a 2004 book by Riccardo Orizio.
From the publisher,
Quote
Inspired by newspaper clippings he had kept about two former African dictators accused of cannibalism, journalist Riccardo Orizio set out to track down tyrants around the world who had fallen from power—to see if they had gained any perspective on their actions, or if their lives and thoughts could shed any light on our own. The seven encounters chronicled in Talk of the Devil reveal Orizio's gift as an observer and his skill at getting people to reveal themselves. They are also, each of them, memorable stories in their own right.
End quote
https://www.google.com/books/edition/Talk_of_the_Devil/fTdRPgAACAAJ?hl=en
Talk of the Devil: Twenty-Four Classic Short Stories of the Fallen Angel-Including Five Bonus Stories by Maximilian J. Rudwin is a book published in 2010. Here is a synopsis,
Quote
Twenty four irresistibly tempting tales of sinful reading pleasure
Talk of the Devil-the old saying goes-and he is sure to appear! Indeed, here for your entertainment is Lucifer, Satan, Beelzebub, Old Nick, the Lord of the Flies, these are but five of the many names and titles that mankind has bestowed upon the Devil, the Prince of Evil, the dark figure who stands farthest away from the shining moral example of Godhead. Predictably, such a powerful figure, deeply embedded in the psyche of many cultures, has had an abiding fascination for writers since the earliest days of the written word and, inevitably, he has also become an essential component of folk tales in many countries. It is well noted that the characteristics of a hero are the same the world over, but if you need a really interesting personality then the villain can deliver satisfaction every time!
End quote
https://www.google.com/books/edition/Talk_of_the_Devil/7HrTcQAACAAJ?hl=en
Speak of the Devil is a live-action, VR game from Light Sail VR released in 2018. They describe the game as a live-action horror narrative that fuses cinematic visuals with game-engine based interactivity.
Here is the game teaser from Light Sail VR,
Quote
Awoken by a nightmare, you find yourself alone in your tent. A couple has set up camp uncomfortably close to your campsite. They are looking for something ancient. Undeterred by rumors of cult worship, and the various missing-persons reports over the years, they set off into territory clearly marked ‘no trespassing’. Compelled by an urge to follow, you set off to explore this isolated forest.
As you venture deeper into the unknown parts of the wood, you discover strange burned effigies, bloody pentagrams, and mysterious runes–is there truth to this woman’s story?
Screams pierce the stillness of the forest. Something ancient and demonic has awoken. Will you be able to escape with your life?
End quote
https://www.lightsailvr.com/sotd.php
Next we have the 2020 book Speak of the Devil: How The Satanic Temple is Changing the Way We Talk about Religion by Joseph P. Laycock. According to the publisher, this work,
Quote
Offers the first complete and detailed history of The Satanic Temple
Draws on interviews with over fifty members of The Satanic Temple as well as members of related groups, attorneys, and critics of The Satanic Temple's campaigns
Demonstrates why religious Satanism is significant to larger conversations about the definition of religion, religious freedom, and religious tolerance
End quote
https://global.oup.com/academic/product/speak-of-the-devil-9780190948498?cc=us&lang=en&
Speak of the Devil: The who, what, where, and why of Faust and his legend by Ed Simon was published August 08, 2022 on Lapham’s Quarterly. The article begins,
Quote
Either a legion of demons or an unfortunate explosion killed the necromancer Johann Georg Faust while he worked on some alchemical experiment, perhaps attempting to find the philosopher’s stone or inscribing magic circles to conjure this or that demon, but it’s not clear just when this happened. Of the great magicians of the Renaissance—Paracelsus, Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa, John Dee—Faust is arguably the most famous, even though he’s the figure historians know the least about, more shadow burned on the library floor than actual man. Forever associated with the demon Mephistopheles, the intermediary of Satan with whom Faust signed his diabolical contract to acquire secret knowledge and supernatural abilities, the ill-fated sixteenth-century German occultist has given us the phrase Faustian bargain, denoting any deals with the devil, literal or figurative. Historian Leo Ruickbie estimates in his 2009 book Faustus: The Life and Times of a Renaissance Magician that since the sixteenth century around twenty thousand books have fictionalized the notorious bargain.
End quote
https://www.laphamsquarterly.org/roundtable/speak-devil
Speak of the Devil is a cocktail bar in Lorain, Ohio. According to their website,
Quote
“If you encountered SOTD in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles or Chicago, you wouldn’t blink. In Lorain, you blink, and several times. It’s a true oasis of craft cocktail culture in a town sorely in need of it, and one can only be grateful for its existence.”– Robert Simonson, New York Times
End quote
https://speakofthedevillorain.com/
Wrap up:
Eerie phrases are generally my thing and this one is not an exception. Although, it is far less creepy to me than many others. I appreciate that it has been used to talk about just anyone being discussed showing up. While some may use it to refer to people they don’t particularly like, it is mostly a non-judgmental phrase. I use this phrase more than I realized before researching it.
Shauna:
That’s about all we have for today. If you have any thoughts on the show, or pop culture references we should have included,
reach out to us on Patreon, patreon.com/bunnytrailspod or comment on our website bunnytrailspod.com
Dan:
It’s patron poll time!
Recently we posed this question to our Patrons:
What are your favorite streaming services?
The winner was Paramount+ but only by a small margin. Close followers include Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video. The next tier below that was HBO Max and YouTube TV.
I don’t really consume much visual media, which means I wouldn’t use streaming services often enough to pay for them. When I really want to watch something, like a sporting event, then I go to a friend's house or a sports bar. But that is rare. If I had to pick one, it would be Paramount+ for Star Trek reasons
Jan said,
Quote
We got rid of satellite several years ago and went to antenna and streaming. I like YouTube TV best out of all of them because of the DVR functions and price. I live just far enough from Wichita that the antenna isn't reliable on some channels, so having the streaming helps.
End quote
Shauna:
Heather shared,
Quote
Besides Netflix, I mainly watch services not mentioned. PBS Passport is great. Kanopy, an app available through some US library networks, has free movies and tv. And I like Viki, an app for East-Asian content.
End quote
JGP said,
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Like Heather, I use Viki a lot as well. Honestly, there's just too many streaming services now, I can't seem to keep track of what is airing where anymore.
End quote
Mary says
Quote,
Like Heather, I like PBS Passport. And… I watch Paramount for Star Trek. If I could add one perfect streaming service, it would be all quirky sci-fi all the time, especially Doctor Who from old to new.
End quote
I generally stream shows from Netflix or Hulu because it comes free with my phone. Though I spend more time streaming videos for my classes through the college library. I like Mary’s idea for a quirky sci-fi streaming service.
Dan:
You and I have the same cell phone provider, so I suppose I have access to those services, too. But I’ve literally never used them. And until just now, I didn’t even know that option existed. Though I still am not going to do anything with it.
As a reminder, our silly polls mean absolutely nothing and are not scientifically valid. But Patrons of all levels get to take part. Head over to patreon.com/bunnytrailspod to take this week’s poll!
Outro
Dan:
Thanks for joining us. We’ll talk to you again next week. Until then remember,
Together:
Words belong to their users.
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