the devil is in the details
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English
Alternative forms
- the devil is in the detail (with “detail” as a mass noun)
Etymology
In allusion to God is in the detail.
Pronunciation
Audio (General Australian): (file)
Proverb
- (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, 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, →ISSN:
- “The devil will be in the details,” said Sarah Myers West, managing director of AI Now Institute, a policy research center.
Translations
specific provisions of something may be complicated
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