Guide 199 / 200 4 alternatives 2-minute read
Better ways to say “the devil is in the details”
A mangling of "God is in the details" — now cliché for "the details trip you up".
i · Why avoid itTwo lines, no filler
The original aphorism ("God is in the details," attributed to the architect Mies van der Rohe) meant beauty lies in the details. The flipped version, popularised mid-20th-century, means difficulty does. Both have been said so often they've lost weight. Name the specific detail that matters.
ii · Before & afterDrop-in demo
Before
The devil is in the details on this migration.
After
The DNS cutover window is the detail that will decide this migration.
iii · The alternatives4 ways out
- 01The tricky part is neutral
name the hazard
The tricky part is the DNS cutover.
- 02Watch out for neutral
flag one risk
Watch out for the DNS cutover.
- 03The catch is informal
casual warning
The catch is the DNS cutover.
- 04The risk is neutral
explicit risk framing
The risk is the DNS cutover.
iv · Brew tipKeep this one
Naming the detail is better than warning there is one.