Meaning & Analysis
He is so clever or cunning that he is believed to possess even more knowledge or craftiness than the devil himself.
Insights
Extreme Cunning
The proverb humorously exaggerates a person's shrewdness or guile, likening it to surpassing even the archetype of cunning—the devil—in knowledge or trickery.
Dangerous Intelligence
It also suggests that such intelligence can be morally ambiguous or even dangerous, blurring the line between admirable cleverness and untrustworthy scheming.
Competitive Superiority
By invoking the devil as a benchmark, the saying implies not only great wit but also the triumph of human craftiness over legendary forces, celebrating outsmarting even the most infamous deceiver.
Historical Symbolism
The devil, across Western tradition, is the supreme symbol of craft, deceit, and forbidden knowledge. To know more than the devil is a hyperbolic way to praise extraordinary cunning, but also to hint at moral peril or hubris.
Cultural Resonance
Such comparisons are common in folk sayings, where besting the devil is a measure of ultimate cleverness—sometimes admired, sometimes distrusted. In Spanish and other European traditions, similar proverbs often serve as backhanded compliments.
Psychological Perspective
The proverb reflects fascination with intelligence and its limits, as well as social ambivalence toward those whose intellect might challenge norms or disrupt trust.
Rhetorical Devices
Hyperbole
The proverb exaggerates the subject's cleverness for vivid effect, making the comparison memorable and impactful.
Allusion
Refers to the devil as the archetype of cunning, leveraging cultural associations for immediate understanding and resonance.
Irony
There is an ironic undertone: knowing 'one point more' than the devil is both praise and a veiled warning about the perils of excessive cleverness.
Transcription
Quotations
I know that you know an Ace more then the Devill in all you speake or thinke.
*Spoken of a cunning fellow.
Related Proverbs
Original Scan
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