I think you've squashed two together. There's "pay the piper," from the Pied Piper and "give the devil his due," grudgingly admitting that someone you don't like or admire has done something right.
Sometimes I miss having powers... Oh. Oh! I know what this is! This is peer pressure! Any second now you're gonna make me smoke tobacco and--and have drugs!
Anya ,'Showtime'
Natter 62: The 62nd Natter
Off-topic discussion. Wanna talk about corsets, duct tape, or physics? This is the place. Detailed discussion of any current-season TV must be whitefonted.
Ginger - Nov 24, 2008 6:27:49 am PST #3082 of 10002
"It didn't taste good. It tasted soooo horrible. It tasted like....a vodka martini." - Matilda
Barb - Nov 24, 2008 6:29:06 am PST #3083 of 10002
“Not dead yet!”
Yeah, I can't find anything tying the two together. Could be I'm misremembering something I might have heard in Spanish-- lots of proverbs that get convoluted and mangled between translations.
brenda m - Nov 24, 2008 6:29:50 am PST #3084 of 10002
If you're going through hell/keep on going/don't slow down/keep your fear from showing/you might be gone/'fore the devil even knows you're there
These are from the Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, and also more-or-less mesh with my own understanding:
Give the devil his due:
Admit it when there is some good even in a person you dislike. This saying appears in Don Quixote, by Miguel de Cervantes.
Shakespeare also used the line, but I can't recall the context.
Pay the piper:
To pay the consequences for self-indulgent behavior: “If you stay up late at night to watch TV, in the morning you will have to pay the piper.”
Barb - Nov 24, 2008 6:31:16 am PST #3085 of 10002
“Not dead yet!”
Stupid brayne. I hate, hate, hate only partially remembering things that I know I've heard my entire life. One would think it would be right there at my fingertips, but nooooooooooo...
Bah.
Stoopit brayne.
tommyrot - Nov 24, 2008 6:33:47 am PST #3086 of 10002
Sir, it's not an offence to let your cat eat your bacon. Okay? And we don't arrest cats, I'm very sorry.
But what if the Devil is the piper? Then it'd make sense to give the Devil his due by paying the piper.
OTOH, I don't think the Devil can play the pipe as well as the fiddle....
Barb - Nov 24, 2008 6:34:39 am PST #3087 of 10002
“Not dead yet!”
Especially if he goes down to Georgia...
Augh, I'm going to wind up with the most mangled cultural references...
sarameg - Nov 24, 2008 6:36:51 am PST #3088 of 10002
But everyone will get it!
OK, time to shut down and put away. Later, all.
lisah - Nov 24, 2008 6:41:31 am PST #3089 of 10002
Punishingly Intricate
have a great trip, sara!!!
Barb - Nov 24, 2008 6:41:54 am PST #3090 of 10002
“Not dead yet!”
Safe travels, sara!
msbelle - Nov 24, 2008 6:44:14 am PST #3091 of 10002
I remember the crazy days. 500 posts an hour. Nubmer! Natgbsb
ok, let's all talk about sara now.