Here in Central Europe, if you come across as overly pessimistic about something, you may have someone tell you that you are painting the devil on the wall, or you may be asked not to paint the devil on the wall. In either case, the core message is simple — stop talking about it so negatively/stop being so negative or it may come true.
I say Central Europe because many nations — including Germany, Austria, and Hungary — have claimed the idiom as their own; however, the expression also appears farther to the east, in places like Latvia and Russia.
Don’t jinx it is the most analogous and simplest, idiom I can think of in English, at least as far as implied meaning goes, but in English it is usually reserved for keeping some positive prediction to oneself to avoid attracting bad luck or misfortune that brings about the exact opposite of the optimistic expectation.
In this sense, the English idiom and its Central/Eastern European counterpart involve the notion of cursing something by the mere act of speaking about it; however, there is a big difference between jinxing an optimistic expectation and being wary of a negative one manifesting in real life. For example, the Hungarian version of Don’t paint the devil on the wall sometimes includes, or he will come off the wall/he will appear!
Some English-language interpretations claim exaggeration of the negative, often excessive or unwarranted, to be the idiom’s core message. For example, Don’t listen to Jack when he gets all gloomy about the economy; he’s just painting the devil on the wall.
I don't know if this meaning within the idiom exists in other Central/Eastern European countries. It does in Hungary, where painting the devil on the wall sometimes refers to prophesying bad things that are untrue or unlikely to happen. However, in my experience, don’t make a bad thing even worse by talking about it is the more frequently implied meaning.
I am no prophet, and I rarely make predictions. Although I share negative views, I keep the bulk of my this-worldly pessimism and foreboding to myself because I wish to avoid accusations of painting the devil on the wall.
I don’t want to hear that my negative this-worldly views are excessive and unwarranted, and I would rather not be accused of making a bad situation even worse by simply talking about it.
Look closely -- no paintbrush. You see, I’m generally cheerful, daring, and optimistic, yet an unmovable earnestness underpins this positivity — and this informs me that most people have no sense of just how bad the situation in this world is.
I say Central Europe because many nations — including Germany, Austria, and Hungary — have claimed the idiom as their own; however, the expression also appears farther to the east, in places like Latvia and Russia.
Don’t jinx it is the most analogous and simplest, idiom I can think of in English, at least as far as implied meaning goes, but in English it is usually reserved for keeping some positive prediction to oneself to avoid attracting bad luck or misfortune that brings about the exact opposite of the optimistic expectation.
In this sense, the English idiom and its Central/Eastern European counterpart involve the notion of cursing something by the mere act of speaking about it; however, there is a big difference between jinxing an optimistic expectation and being wary of a negative one manifesting in real life. For example, the Hungarian version of Don’t paint the devil on the wall sometimes includes, or he will come off the wall/he will appear!
Some English-language interpretations claim exaggeration of the negative, often excessive or unwarranted, to be the idiom’s core message. For example, Don’t listen to Jack when he gets all gloomy about the economy; he’s just painting the devil on the wall.
I don't know if this meaning within the idiom exists in other Central/Eastern European countries. It does in Hungary, where painting the devil on the wall sometimes refers to prophesying bad things that are untrue or unlikely to happen. However, in my experience, don’t make a bad thing even worse by talking about it is the more frequently implied meaning.
I am no prophet, and I rarely make predictions. Although I share negative views, I keep the bulk of my this-worldly pessimism and foreboding to myself because I wish to avoid accusations of painting the devil on the wall.
I don’t want to hear that my negative this-worldly views are excessive and unwarranted, and I would rather not be accused of making a bad situation even worse by simply talking about it.
Look closely -- no paintbrush. You see, I’m generally cheerful, daring, and optimistic, yet an unmovable earnestness underpins this positivity — and this informs me that most people have no sense of just how bad the situation in this world is.
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