speak of the devil and he appears: meaning & examples

Meanings:

• 1.

  GlobalUKUSinformalcolloquialjocular
  • A fuller form of the expression "speak of the devil," used to note that the person just mentioned has appeared or has become present at that moment.
  • An ironic or playful comment on the coincidence that someone mentioned has materialized immediately after being discussed.

  Examples

  Beta

  • Speak of the devil and he appears—just as I was mentioning John's name, he walked right in.

    Hablando del diablo, y aparece—justo cuando mencionaba el nombre de John, él entró.

  • We were talking about Lisa, and speak of the devil and she appears at the party unannounced.

    Estábamos hablando de Lisa, y hablando del diablo, ella apareció en la fiesta sin avisar.

  • I said, ‘Speak of the devil and he appears,’ just as Mike showed up at the meeting.

    Dije, ‘Hablando del diablo, y aparece,’ justo cuando Mike apareció en la reunión.