Idiom
give the devil his due
Meaning
To acknowledge the positive qualities of a person who is unpleasant or disliked.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“I dislike him, but I must give the devil his due.”
“Although I disagree with his politics, I must give the devil his due and admit he is a brilliant speaker.”
“While his personality was often abrasive and difficult to endure, one had to give the devil his due regarding his unmatched expertise in the field.”
Examples
simple
“I dislike him, but I must give the devil his due.”
contextual
“Although I disagree with his politics, I must give the devil his due and admit he is a brilliant speaker.”
complex
“While his personality was often abrasive and difficult to endure, one had to give the devil his due regarding his unmatched expertise in the field.”
Key words
Related idioms
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