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devil-may-care

To act without fear or worry for the future; casual, relaxed and nonchalant; happy-go-lucky attitude; sometimes considered reckless

Etymology:

  • The entire idiom is, “the devil may care, but I do not,” and is believed to have originated at the beginning of the 18th century - during the Golden Age of Piracy - to depict the carefree actions of pirates and their mentality, that consequences were of no concern to them (such that, only the Devil might care about what they do, is inferred).
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As the devil-may-care, the young child jumped into the deep end of the pool, without knowing how to swim.

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Submitted by JokerGem on September 13, 2023

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Nearby phrases

Some more phrases from our dictionary similar to devil-may-care

I don't caredevil's luckdevil's shouldersdevil take the hindmostcaught between the devil and the deep b…long hair don't careLet the Chips Fall Where They Mayidle hands are the Devil's toolsidle hands are the devil's workshopidle hands are the devil's playthingsdevil beating his wifecare foridle hands are the Devil's workshopidle hands are the devil's tools

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    "devil-may-care." Phrases.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2023. Web. 25 Sep. 2023. <https://www.phrases.com/phrase/devil-may-care_63917>.

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