devil's advocate | Idiomator

Meaning: (idiomatic)One whodebatesfrom aviewpointwhich one may not actuallyhold, usually todetermineitsvalidityor simply for the sake ofargument.I don't really believe all that – I was just playingdevil's advocate.1985, Albert Brooks,Lost in America(motion picture), spoken by David Howard (Albert Brooks):Now, playdevil's advocate. Can't you live 20 years on $145,000 if you're living out of a motor home and just eating and painting and writing books? I mean, this is what we talked about when we were 19. Remember, we kept saying, "Let's find ourselves," but we didn't have a dollar! So, we watched television instead.; (historical,Roman Catholicism)Acanonlawyerappointed by theChurchtoargueagainst thecanonizationof the proposedcandidate.

Examples:

EN: I did not expect to hear the devil's advocate at your table.
ES: No esperaba escuchar al abogado del diablo en su propia mesa.
EN: You're playing devil's advocate.
ES: Está jugando al abogado del diablo.
EN: You can see I'm full of objections and reservations, always playing the devil's advocate.
ES: Puede ver que estoy lleno de objeciones y reservas, siempre ejerciendo de abogado del diablo.
EN: It's easy to see you're not a very avid fan of mine, Sarge. Because if you were, you'd know my gimmick is playing the devil's advocate of television land.
ES: Si siguiera mis programas... sabría que soy un incordio... el abogado del diablo televisivo.
EN: Now it's the devil's advocate's turn, he who piles doubt upon doubt and who asks you: but don'tyou, guys, realize that the words you are using underdevelopment, underdevelopment are sick, or at least, sickly?
ES: Bueno, ahora toca al abogado del diablo, el que lleva las dudas también sobre las dudas y que os pregunta: pero, señores, ¿no se dan cuenta que las palabras que estan empleando: subdesarrollo, subdesarrollo, subdesarrollo... son enfermas o, por lo menos, enfermizas?
EN: Adrian, my devil's advocate.
ES: Adrián, mi abogado del diablo.
EN: In this time, the enterprise community it considered Roosevelt... a devil's advocate, at least, e Roosevelt distrusted intensely of the entrepreneurs.
ES: En ese momento, la comunidad empresarial Roosevelt creía ... un abogado del diablo, por lo menos Roosevelt desconfiaba y en gran medida de los empleadores.
EN: The devil's advocate perhaps!
ES: ¡Abogada del diablo, quizás!
EN: I play the devil's advocate in all this, and to do so I... seek and I find dangerous documentary evidence, which I'll give to our colleague so he can make a nice bonfire.
ES: Mi papel es el de abogado del diablo, y para cumplirlo debo buscar y encontrar peligrosas pruebas documentales, que después entrego a nuestro colega para que las haga arder.
EN: What I would like to know, playing the devil's advocate, what would this filming be like, or better, not just the filming, but of the film itself, if my brother Leopoldo had been here
ES: Lo que me gustaría saber es exactamente, haciendo un papel muy hipocritón de abogado del diablo, ¿no? qué sería de este rodaje, vamos, repito, de no sólo el rodaje, si no de la película, del hecho de la película en sí, si hubiera existido como una persona presente, durante toda la elaboración, el rodaje, las discusiones, etc., mi hermano Leopoldo,
EN: Sir, could I play devil's advocate for a moment?
ES: Señor, ¿puedo ser el abogado del diablo por un momento?
EN: Play devil's advocate. Can't you live 20 years on $145,000 if you're living out of a motor home, just eating and painting and writing books?
ES: Sé el abogado del diablo. ¿No podrías vivir 20 años con 145.000 dólares si vivieras en una casa rodante, comiendo, pintando y escribiendo libros?
EN: Let me play devil's advocate and tell you:
ES: Permíteme hacer de abogado del diablo y decirte:
EN: Do you always play devil's advocate?
ES: ¿Siempre juegas al abogado del diablo?
EN: Right, now, I'll be devil's advocate.
ES: De acuerdo, ahora, seré el abogado del diablo.

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