Meaning of give the devil his due | Babel Free

Definitions

To acknowledge the positive qualities of a person who is unpleasant or disliked.

idiomatic, informal

Examples

“[…]for he was never yet a breaker of proverbs: he will give the devil his due.”

“Yet give the devil his due; Says grace before he doth a deed of villainy.”

“And to give the devil his due he's finer than ever. Too damn fine for this crowd!”

“We are obliged, at least this once, to give the devil his due — and to consider the possibility that he may even be, in this instance, the angel of bleak truthfulness.”

CEFR level