Devil’s Advocate
idiom: playing {the} devil’s advocate
= a person who argues against something, not as an opponent (in disagreement), but simply for the sake of argument
Origin: the term “Devil’s advocate” comes from when the Catholic church chooses who should become a saint. In the past, the Devil’s advocate’s (Advocatus Diaboli) job was to argue AGAINST the candidate in order to find any character flaws or mistakes in the evidence that favors the candidate.
Ex: Person #1: Let’s go swimming in the pool.
Person #2: You know people pee in the pool, are you sure you want to go? I’m just playing “devil’s advocate.”
Ex: Don’t get upset by my opinion. I agree with your plan. I’m just playing “devil’s advocate” so you’ll know what the opposition will say.
