What is "speak of the devil"

phr. (context idiomatic humorous English) An expression sometimes used when a person mentioned in the current conversation happens to arrive on the scene.

v. mention someone's name who just then appears

"Speak of the devil" is the short form of the idiom "Speak of the devil and he doth appear" (or its alternative form "speak of the devil and he shall appear."). It is used when an object of discussion unexpectedly becomes present during the conversation. It can also be used about a topic that quickly becomes relevant, such as the onset of rain or a car breaking down. Used in this sense it can be seen as an alternative to the phrase "tempting fate".

Deriving from the Middle Ages, this proverb (which was, and to a certain extent still is, rendered as "Talk of the Devil...") was a superstitious prohibition against speaking directly of the Devil or of evil in general, which was considered to incite that party to appear, generally with unfortunate consequences. Its first printed usage in modern English can be found in Giovanni Torriano's Piazza Universale (1666), as "The English say, Talk of the Devil, and he's presently at your elbow."

The phrase lost its overt message during the 19th century, during which it became a warning against eavesdroppers ("No good of himself does a listener hear, / Speak of the devil he's sure to appear"), and by the 20th century had taken on its present meaning.

Speak of the Devil is a live album by English heavy metal vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. The album consists entirely of renditions of songs originally recorded by Osbourne's previous band Black Sabbath. It was released on 27 November 1982. The album was entitled Talk of the Devil in the UK, that being the more commonly expressed idiom there.

In the UK, it was the second of four Osbourne albums to attain Silver certification (60,000 units sold) by the British Phonographic Industry, achieving this in January 1983.

Speak of the Devil is an album by guitarist John Abercrombie with organist Dan Wall and drummer Adam Nussbaum recorded in 1993 and released on the ECM label

Speak of the Devil is the seventh studio album by Chris Isaak. It was released in 1998 on Warner Bros. Records.

Speak of the devil is an English idiom.

Speak of the Devil may also refer to:

• Speak of the Devil, the premier all-male collegiate a cappella group at Duke University
• Speak of the Devil (Ozzy Osbourne album), a 1982 live album by English heavy metal musician Ozzy Osbourne
• Speak of the Devil (John Abercrombie album), a 1993 album by American musician John Abercrombie
• Speak of the Devil (Chris Isaak album), a 1998 album by American musician Chris Isaak
• Speak of the Devil (book), a 1998 investigation of allegations of satanic ritual abuse in England by anthropologist Jean LaFontaine
• Speak of the Devil: The Canon of Anton LaVey, a documentary film directed by Nick Bougas about Church of Satan founder Anton LaVey
• "Speak of the Devil" (song), 1991 country song recorded by Pirates of the Mississippi
• "Speak of the Devil" (Under the Dome)

Speak of the Devil: tales of satanic abuse in contemporary England is a scholarly book by J. S. La Fontaine published in 1998 that discusses her investigation of allegations of satanic ritual abuse made in the United Kingdom. The book documents a detailed investigation of the accounts of children during a wave of allegations of satanic ritual abuse, as well as the processes within the social work profession that supported the allegations despite a lack of evidence.

"Speak of the Devil" is a song written by Bill McCorvey, Rich Alves and Danny Mayo by American country music group Pirates of the Mississippi. It was released in July 1991 as the fourth single from the album Pirates of the Mississippi. The song reached #29 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.

"Speak of the Devil" is the eleventh episode of the first season of the CBS drama Under the Dome. It aired on September 2, 2013.