If the devil should cast his net...

Posted by ESC on April 20, 2004

In Reply to: If the devil should cast his net... posted by Bowcastle on April 19, 2004

: A boss once said this when he came across a group of us idly talking together when we should have been working. I took it to mean that the Devil would have a good haul of suitable souls, but I've often wondered if there was a second part to this phrase e.g. '...What a wonderful catch he would find'
: I can't find any use of this phrase on the net - has anyone heard this before?

I haven't found anything in my references or online. It seems to me that I recall a phrase along the lines of "the devil casts a wide net." I took to mean that if you associate with people likely to get in trouble, you might be swept up also.