dance with the devil
To engage in risky and immoral behavior.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“If you cheat on the test, you are dancing with the devil.”
“He knew that borrowing money from dangerous people was dancing with the devil, but he felt he had no other choice.”
“By choosing to ignore the legal warnings and continue his illicit operations, the executive was effectively dancing with the devil, inviting a ruinous investigation upon his firm.”
- 01
blue devils
Low spirits; depression.
- 02
dance attendance
To wait obsequiously (on or upon someone).
- 03
dance of the seven veils
A striptease performance.
- 04
dance on nothing
To be hanged.
- 05
dance on someone's grave
To celebrate a person's death or downfall triumphantly.
- 06
devil dancing
Risky, reckless or potentially immoral behavior.
- 07
devil in disguise
A person or thing that appears to be good, honest, or upstanding, but is inherently nasty, evil, or damaging.
- 08
devil lies in the details
Synonym of devil is in the details.
Last updated August 10, 2026