give the devil his due
Credit your enemy
To give the devil his due is to acknowledge someone's merits or accomplishments even when you dislike them.
The phrase suggests fairness demands credit where credit is earned, regardless of your feelings about the person: I can't stand the guy, but give the devil his due—he knows how to close a deal.
- deservedRightfully earned or warranted
- recognizePerceive as known
- acknowledgmentConfirmation of receipt
- fair shakeEquitable treatment or opportunity
- fairnessJust and equal treatment
objectivity · idiomatic · old saying · moral complexity · bitter pill · credit · honor · gray areas · proverbs · worthiness · esteem · balance · impartiality · adversary · sworn enemy · required · achievement · respect
fairness in acknowledgment
give the devil his duedemonize
Portray as utterly evil
damn with faint praise · willful blindness · sour grapes · character assassination · throw the baby out with the bathwater