the devil is in the details

(Redirected from devil is in the details)

English

edit

Alternative forms

edit

Etymology

edit

In allusion to God is in the detail.

Pronunciation

edit

Proverb

edit

the devil is in the details

  1. (idiomatic) The specific provisions of, or particular steps for implementing, a general plan, policy, or contract may be complicated, controversial, or unworkable.
    • 1965, Newsweek, volume 65, page 173:
      Krupp already has an agreement in principle for the deal, but precise details are still being worked out by Polish officials and a Krupp bargaining team ("The devil is in the details," Beitz says).
    • 1998 December 16, Alain L. Sanders, “Israel: Let the People Speak”, in Time[1], archived from the original on 8 April 2009:
      The country has developed a strong consensus for peace, but the devil is in the details over what concessions should be made.
    • 2023 May 16, Cecilia Kang, quoting Sarah Myers West, “OpenAI’s Sam Altman Urges A.I. Regulation in Senate Hearing”, in The New York Times[2], →ISSN:
      “The devil will be in the details,” said Sarah Myers West, managing director of AI Now Institute, a policy research center.

Translations

edit