魔鬼无处不在

有人说，我们每个人的心里都住着一个魔鬼。然而如果我们能够控制好自己的心，魔鬼是不会出来作恶的，毕竟我们的心里还住着一位天使。接下来我们就来聊聊魔鬼的短语吧。

Many expressions in American English come from the world of religion. Some common idioms are based on high， religious ideals. But today we look at the bad or evil side of religion.

The Devil is the most powerful spirit of evil in Christianity， Islam and other religions. The devil is clearly at work in these idioms and expressions.

Speaking of the devil， to speak of the devil means to talk about someone at the same time the person appears. Here is an example，

“John and I are going to the movies tonight and…hey， speak of the devil！ Here comes John now.”

“Hey John！ We were just talking about you…and speak of the devil you appear.”

Keep in mind， this expression does not mean that you think the individual is bad or evil.

Its just an issue of timing. But there are many devil expressions that do refer to bad behavior.

And sometimes when we behave badly， we blame the devil. We say the devil made me do it.

● speak of the devil 字面意思是，談论着魔鬼，魔鬼就出现了。可以直接翻译成习语：说曹操，曹操就到。也可以这样表达：speak of the devil and he appears。

● the devil made me do it 是魔鬼驱使我这么做的。多年前，著名的意大利服装品牌范思哲（Versace）被撤回一批T恤衫，因为衣服上写着“是魔鬼让我这么干的”（the devil made me do it），引起了宗教界人士的抗议。喜欢创新、制造轰动的设计师和摄影师们，总想借助宗教来表达某种情绪或效果，当然，效果是有好有坏的。

Or we say something or someone brings out the devil in us. This means we blame someone else for our bad behavior. Lets use it in a sentence.

“Boy， you are like a different person when your old friend from college comes around.”

“I know. I just cant behave when hes around. He really brings out the devil in me.”

When we use this idiom， we really dont mean evil behavior—more like being mischievous or causing light-hearted trouble. This is different than having a devil-may-care attitude.

Having a devil-may-care way of thinking means you are willing to push the limits more than most people. And you really dont care what others think.

There is also the daredevil. A daredevil is a wild person who likes acting dangerously. A daredevil is， well， daring the devil—which can get you into trouble.

So， its good to keep busy and out of trouble. And this is where the expression idle hands are the devils workshop comes from. The word idle means inactive or not working. And some people believe that keeping busy keeps you out of trouble.

But there are some people who team up with the devil. They play devils advocate. To play devils advocate is a very useful expression. It has a lot of meaning in just two words.

When you play devils advocate you say things you do not really believe just to start an argument or discussion. And， actually， this is often used in a good way.

Exactly. I could say， “Let me play devils advocate for a minute so we can see the other side of this issue.”

And teachers often play devils advocate to create interesting discussions in the classroom.

But to make a deal with the devil is usually a bad idea. It means you want something so badly that you are willing to sacrifice something important for it—like your soul.

Often what you sacrifice is not really your soul but rather your morals or self-esteem.

● bring out the devil in us 意思是引出了我們心里的魔鬼。这意味着我们将不好的行为归咎于别人。

● devil-may-care 意思是不顾一切的。

● daredevil 意思是鲁莽大胆的人，蛮勇的人。

● idle hands are the devils workshop 字面意思是“闲置的手是魔鬼的工作室”，可以翻译为：闲着无事，为鬼推磨;闲人是恶魔的手下;魔鬼专坑懒鬼。

● play devils advocate 是指故意提出不同意见;唱反调;故意挑毛病。这个短语来源于罗马天主教会，罗马天主教会在授予某人圣人称号的时候都要经过审议。在审议时总有一个专门提出反面意见的教会官员，故意指出被授称号者的缺点，目的是促使审议人员更慎重地进行讨论。

● make a deal with the devil 意思是与魔鬼做交易。这通常是个坏主意，意味着你很想得到某样东西，甚至愿意为此牺牲其他很重要的东西——比如你的灵魂。