The phrase “devil-may-care” refers to a carefree and risk-taking attitude, often used to describe professions like stuntmen. It originated around 1800 and reflects the obsession with the devil in Anglophone cultures. It may also relate to mischievous joy and is often used in idiomatic phrases.
When English speakers talk about someone having a “devil-may-care” life or lifestyle, they are referring to the idea of being indifferent or generally willing to take risks. This idiom is used in different ways; for example, one could say that someone has a “devil’s cure” attitude or outlook on life. People may even refer to “devil-may-care” professions as that of a professional stuntman.
The phrase “devil-may-care” appears to have originated around 1800. Other common phrases of that time also included the word “devil,” which in some English-speaking cultures and communities represents one of many demonic entities, and in others , is used with a capital letter to indicate the primary “Devil” of the Judaic religion. The phrase also mirrors others in societies speaking other languages, for example in German, where the use of the word “Teufel” or “Topfel” is prominent in many idiomatic phrases.
As regards the origin and meaning of “devil-may-care”, it seems that the sentence stands as a sort of general antithesis to the perspective of the speaker. Here, the phrase may have originated as part of a longer sentence; some cite examples such as “The devil may care; I certainly don’t.” The sentence is also similar to another one that uses a rather similar idea: when English speakers say “the devil takes the last”, the idea is that no one wants to be last. For example, when someone says, “They took to the street, away from the scene of the fire, the devil take the last one,” the idea is that everyone fled quickly, not wanting to be left behind.
In some cases, the use of “devil-may-care” may relate to the idea of ”diabolical” or “mischievous” joy. This type of phrase describes someone with a sly or slightly malicious streak in their humor. Usually, that doesn’t mean that the subject is actually evil or about to do bad things. Rather, devilish or mischievous glee is generally recognized as mischievous but playful behavior.
The use of phrases like “devil-may-care” shows how obsessed Anglophone cultures of the past were with the idea of a devil. There are dozens of idioms in the English language that characterize this person. and all that the collective image of him entails. Phrases like “devil take you” or “to the devil” mostly achieved prominence in earlier centuries, where modern English speakers are less likely to invoke this type of character reference.
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