speak of the devil
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
Said when a person appears just as they are being talked about.
Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt
Khi một người vừa được nhắc đến thì họ xuất hiện
Machine-translated — suggest a fix
Literally: Mention the devil (and he shall appear).
How to use it
✓ Use it when
The moment someone being discussed walks in.
Register: informalConnotation: amusedEra: 17th century – present
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Examples
We were just talking about you — speak of the devil!
Editorial example (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)
Common questions
What does “speak of the devil” mean?
Said when a person appears just as they are being talked about. Literally: Mention the devil (and he shall appear).
Is “speak of the devil” formal or informal?
speak of the devil is generally informal; connotation: amused.