Talk:devil take the hindmost

This phrase reminds me of the German one den Letzten beißen die Hunde which it resembles structurally. But the latter's meaning differs significantly - namely, the last one suffers the biggest damage. Does any native German speaker find it suitable for translation here? The uſer hight Bogorm converſation 11:09, 1 March 2010 (UTC)

Not the meaning I learned

This is something my father (RIP) used to say when he was angry. I was about to quote him in a letter just now and decided I would look it up. I was surprised to see the theme of selfishness running through the interpretations. That's not how I understood it at all. It was instead a fighting stance, akin to 'come hell or highwater', which he also used to say, but not as much. The difference is that the latter was, as the words themselves indicate, a vow against whatever Fate or Nature might bring. The former are fighting words, a defense of principle against other humans, without regard to the consequences. This idea that it meant every man for himself and the poor, or the slow, get the worst would have been anathema to Dad, and diametrically opposed to how he in fact spent his life.

So I guess I want to say that this is an alternate, perhaps minority, interpretation. It may even be of more recent creation. And that's ok. Language is not static, no matter what Justice Scalia said. Natcolley (talk) 21:50, 24 June 2016 (UTC)

take

Is this an imperative sentence? --Backinstadiums (talk) 22:13, 16 November 2020 (UTC)