give the devil his due

Related to give the devil his due: without a hitch

give the devil his/her due

To acknowledge the good in someone who is otherwise regarded unfavorably. That guy annoys me, but he is a hard worker—I have to give the devil his due.
See also: devil, due, give
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

give the devil his due

 and give the devil her due
Fig. to give your foe proper credit (for something). (This usually refers to a person who has been evil-like the devil.) She's very messy in the kitchen, but I have to give the devil her due. She bakes a terrific cherry pie. John is a bit too nosy, but he keeps his yard clean and is a kind neighbor. I'll give the devil his due.
See also: devil, due, give
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

give the devil his due

Give credit to what is good in a disagreeable or disliked person. For example, I don't like John's views on education, but give the devil his due, he always has something important to say , or I don't like what the new management has done, but give the devil his due, sales have improved . [Late 1500s]
See also: devil, due, give
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

give the devil his due

if someone or something generally considered bad or undeserving has any redeeming features these should be acknowledged. proverb
See also: devil, due, give
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

give the devil his due

To give credit to a disagreeable or malevolent person.
See also: devil, due, give
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition.

give the devil his due

Even the bad may deserve some credit. This expression dates from the sixteenth century and was in print by 1589, in Pappe with an Hatchet, possibly by John Lyly (“Giue them their due though they were diuels”). Shakespeare used it in several plays, as did John Fletcher, John Dryden, and others. It was a cliché by the time Mark Twain wrote “We must give even Satan his due” (A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, 1889).
See also: devil, due, give
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
See also:
  • give the devil his/her due
  • give (one) the devil
  • cut a sorry figure
  • cut a poor figure
  • the devil incarnate
  • your name is mud
  • your, his, etc. name is mud
  • name is mud, one's
  • someone's name is mud
  • (one's) name is mud
References in periodicals archive
The 40-hectare site upon which the Nazis built also dealt with the human condition, but the sign over the front gate at Buchenwald urged all to "Give the devil his due."
The devil's dues: downed Canadian airmen witness the horrors of Buchenwald
STURBRIDGE - You've got to give the devil his due when he's as fiendishly entertaining as Neal Martel is in Stageloft Theater's peppy staging of "Damn Yankees."
Stageloft hits home run with lively `Damn Yankees'
And More says, I would give the devil his due because when they come after me, I want them to give me my due.
The born-again individualist: Fox News Channel's Judge Andrew Napolitano on lying cops, out-of-control government, and his bestselling new book, Constitutional Chaos
To give the devil his due, so to speak, there is a sense in which a broad spectrum of Catholics, Protestants, Jews, and others share many moderate to progressive humanistic values--and that, of course, drives people like LaHaye up the wall.
Mind Siege. (Reviews)
To give the devil his due, the book is some help--it's better than nothing.
Just send me the book. (Training)
Chesterton, Father Neuhaus always seems to give the devil his due. Never one for quick dismissals, Neuhaus presents cant-free remarks on all of the figures he mentions - even men as seemingly antithetical to Neuhaus's conservatism as Michel Foucault.
A Critique of Dying