The devil’s meal turns half to bran.
The devil’s meal turns half to bran.
Meaning in plain English
An apparently valuable gain may deliver less than it promises, particularly when its basis is doubtful. Inspect what remains useful instead of trusting the appearance of abundance.
Example
A buyer discovers that a suspiciously generous package includes unusable items and expensive conditions omitted from the initial description.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
The meal appears plentiful, but much of it becomes bran in the proverb’s comparison. Read the devil’s label as a warning about an untrustworthy or wrongful gain, rather than as a factual explanation of misfortune. Something obtained through a dubious arrangement may have hidden limitations that reduce its expected value. Check what has actually been received, what conditions accompany it and whether accepting it creates further obligations. The stated half is an image, not a measured proportion of loss or a prediction about every transaction.
When to use it
Use it to question the real value of a doubtful gain.
Keep in mind
Bran is not inherently worthless; the image compares the promised product with what the recipient expected to receive.
Edsverb editorial interpretation · agent reviewed · 2026-10-05. This explains the saying; it does not establish its historical origin.
- Source
- A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (1857)
Printed page 28; French section, paragraph 562; source wording: La farine du diable s’en va moitié en son.
Read the original context ↗ - Attribution confidence
- traditional · historical anthology
Preserved as printed; independently unverified. - Historical coordinate
- Undated
No reliable date supplied by the collection. - Rights & edition
- Public domain (United States)
Translations and rights may differ elsewhere.
Provenance and licences ↗