About The Details
In this post we talk about the details, specifically, when the devil is in the details.
About The Details
What does it mean?
The idiom, ‘the devil is in the detail’, comes from the earlier phrase, ‘God is in the detail’, expressing the idea that whatever one does should be done thoroughly, i.e., details are important.
Where does it come from?
This idiom has been attributed to a number of different individuals, most notably to German-born architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886–1969) by The New York Times in Mies’ 1969 obituary, however it is generally accepted to not have originated with him.
The expression also appears to have been a favourite of German art historian Aby Warburg (1866–1929), though Warburg’s biographer, E.M. Gombrich, is uncertain if it originated with Warburg.
An earlier form ‘Le bon Dieu est dans le détail’ (the good God is in the detail) is generally attributed to Gustave Flaubert (1821–1880).
Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations lists the saying’s author as anonymous.
Google’s n-gram function reveals that the phrase ‘the devil is in the details’ does not appear in print before 1975.
Information VIA
If you want more idioms, read these:
- What Is An Idiom?
- 30 Idioms You Need to Know & Their Meaning
- 15 Idioms for Periods of Time
- 10 Idioms About Life
- 44 Idioms About Food
- 10 Colourful Idioms
- 15 Idioms For Periods Of Time
- 10 Idioms About Home
If you want to improve your writing, buy The Complete Grammar Workbook.
0 thoughts on “About The Details”
Definitely originated from a lawyer.