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He will give the Devil his due

What's the meaning of the phrase 'He will give the Devil his due'?

Literally, pay the devil what you owe him. Used figuratively to mean ‘give back what you owe’, either money or favours.

What's the origin of the phrase 'He will give the Devil his due'?

From Shakespeare’s Henry V Part 1, 1597:

ORLÉANS: And I will take up that with “Give the devil his due.”

The expression is referred to in the play as a proverb and so it is likely that Shakespeare was repeating it rather than coining it.

See also: the List of Proverbs.

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Gary Martin is a writer and researcher on the origins of phrases and the creator of the Phrase Finder website. Over the past 26 years more than 700 million of his pages have been downloaded by readers. He is one of the most popular and trusted sources of information on phrases and idioms.

Gary Martin

Writer and researcher on the origins of phrases and the creator of the Phrase Finder website. Over the past 26 years more than 700 million of his pages have been downloaded by readers. He is one of the most popular and trusted sources of information on phrases and idioms.
He will give the Devil his due

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