- be devil's advocate
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to pretend to disagree with someone in order to start an argument or interesting discussionThesaurus: to pretend to do or feel somethingsynonymMain entry: devil's advocate
Useful english dictionary. 2012.
be devil's advocate
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Devil's advocate (disambiguation) — Devil s advocate, originally referred to a canon lawyer in the Roman Catholic Church appointed to argue against the canonization or beatification of a person. Devil s Advocate may also refer to: The Devil s Advocate, a novel by Andrew Neiderman… … Wikipedia
Devil's Advocate (TV series) — Devil s Advocate is a Dutch reality television series produced by AVRO, an Amsterdam based production company, and shown on Nederland 2, a public broadcaster. It stars defense attorney Gerard Spong, who attempts to convince a jury and studio… … Wikipedia
devil's advocate — n someone who pretends to disagree with you in order to have a good discussion about something ▪ He would play devil s advocate with anyone … Dictionary of contemporary English
devil's advocate — noun play/be devil s advocate to pretend to disagree with someone in order to start an argument or interesting discussion … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
devil's advocate — 1760, translating L. advocatus diaboli, one whose job it is to urge against the canonization of a candidate for sainthood. [F]ar from being the whitewasher of the wicked, the [devil s advocate] is the blackener of the good. [Fowler] … Etymology dictionary
devil's advocate — If someone plays Devil s advocate in an argument, they adopt a position they don t believe in just for the sake of the argument … The small dictionary of idiomes
Devil's Advocate — • A title given to an officer of the Sacred Congregation of Rites, established in 1587, by Sixtus V, to deal juridically with processes of beatification and canonization Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006 … Catholic encyclopedia
devil's advocate — is someone who argues against a proposition or belief in order to test it. It should not be used to mean someone who supports a bad or wicked cause. Its origin lies in the Roman Catholic official (in Latin advocatus diaboli) who tests the case… … Modern English usage
devil’s advocate — [n] mediator apologist, pleader, polemicist, sophist; concepts 348,423 … New thesaurus
devil's advocate — ► NOUN ▪ a person who expresses a contentious opinion in order to provoke debate … English terms dictionary
devil's advocate — n. [transl. of ML advocatus diaboli] 1. R.C.Ch. an official selected to examine the facts critically and raise objections in the case of a dead person named for beatification or canonization 2. a person who upholds what is regarded as the wrong… … English World dictionary
