hindmost



Every man for himself (and the devil take the hindmost),

 and Devil take the hindmost
Prov. Everyone has to fight for his or her own survival. (You can use this to describe an extremely competitive situation.) At first we tried to help each other study for the exam, but soon it was every man for himself, and the devil take the hindmost. The inventors tried to collaborate, agreeing to share the profits from their invention, but they grew so suspicious of each other that each began to work separately, and devil take the hindmost. When the ship began to sink, it was every man for himself.
See also: every, himself, man

every man for himself

each person here should do what is best for themselves In the world of politics, it's every man for himself.
Usage notes: usually used with it's, as in the example
See also: every, himself, man

(let) the devil take the hindmost

  (old-fashioned)
something that you say to mean that you should only think about yourself and your own success and not care about other people You've got to be tough to survive in this business - grab what you can and let the devil take the hindmost.
See also: devil, hindmost, take

devil take the hindmost, the

Let everyone put his or her own interest first, leaving the unfortunate to their fate. For example, I don't care if she makes it or not-the devil take the hindmost. This expression, first recorded in 1608, probably originated as an allusion to a children's game in which the last (coming "hindmost") is the loser, and came to mean utter selfishness.
See also: devil, take

every man for himself

Each individual puts his or her own interests foremost. For example, In this company no one helps anyone-it's every man for himself. In Chaucer's day this dictum was stated approvingly, meaning "if you don't look out for yourself, no one else will," but today such selfishness is usually censured. Despite the wording, the term applies to either sex.
See also: every, himself, man

the devil take the hindmost

Let each person follow self-interest, leaving others to fare as they may.
See also: devil, hindmost, take

Common Names:

NameGenderPronouncedUsage
Karolis-Lithuanian
Vinka-Croatian
Natalija-Serbian, Croatian, Slovene, Macedonian
KÁLmÁN-Hungarian
Marna-Danish
Georgei-Medieval Slavic