Intriguing Inclusion: “The Devil Take the Hindmost” 😈
What Does It Mean?
“The devil take the hindmost” essentially boils down to saying, “every person for themselves, and too bad for the slowpokes.” The phrase emerges from the cutthroat edges of ancient children’s games, like tag, where the slowest kid was left to fend for themselves. Over time, it has stretched to showcase human selfishness.
Historical Roots 🌱
One of the earliest literary appearances of this phrase was in John Florio’s First Fruites way back in the sixteenth century: “Every one for him selfe, and the divel for all.” A little later, Beaumont and Fletcher’s 1608 play Philaster echoes a similar sentiment: “What if… they run all away, and cry the Devil take the hindmost?”
Synonyms & Related Expressions
- Every man for himself
- Survival of the fittest
- Dog eat dog
- Looking out for number one
- Sink or swim
Antonyms
- All for one, and one for all
- United we stand, divided we fall
- One for all
- Together we thrive
Proverbs & Quotes
Here’s one from the legendary Mark Twain to ponder: ”Selfishness is a virtue recognized by nobody except those who possess it.”
Provoking Parallels in Literature 📚
- Homo sapiens ruthlessly competing for survival in Lord of the Flies by William Golding.
- The winner-takes-all business world in The Wolf of Wall Street by Jordan Belfort.
- Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged, pushing the philosophy of Objectivism where selfishness is a virtue.
Musical Moments 🎵
- “Every Man for Himself” by The Wildlife.
- “Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor: Occasionally serving as a hyper pumped-up anthem for our “hindmost” moments!
Cinematic Snapshots 🎬
- The Social Network: A sharp look into the self-made billionaire’s life showing Mark Zuckerberg’s rise to the top.
- Mad Max: Mere survival in a ruthless dystopian world.
- Mean Girls: Adolescence’s rough-and-tumble where someone is always inevitably left behind.
Poet’s Corner 🖋️
“I speak not for summons, but survive, Let the devil take the last, As I conscript the speed of strive, Before it’s eternally past.” – A.L. Asterisk
Until we meet again in the colorful circus of overspoken expressions and footnoted philosophies, may your words forever be graceful, never gray, and always grounded in gleeful grandiosity.
Yours in linguistic elegance, A.L. Asterisk
