Skip to main content
PlainSpell

in der Not frisst der Teufel Fliegen

German, proverb/ɪn dɛɐ̯ ˈnoːt fʁɪst dɛɐ̯ ˌtɔʏ̯fəl ˈfliːɡən/

in der Not frisst der Teufel Fliegen is a German proverb meaning “beggars can't be choosers; desperate times require desperate measures (in times of need one must do and accept things one otherwise would…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).

What does in der Not frisst der Teufel Fliegen mean in English?

proverb

  1. 1

    beggars can't be choosers; desperate times require desperate measures (in times of need one must do and accept things one otherwise would not)

Source: English Wiktionary, German section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How German dictionaries define it

phrase: 1. In einer Notsituation tut man Dinge, die man sonst nie tun würde.

The definition in the German Wiktionary, in German.

Source: German Wiktionary, dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.

Forms of in der Not frisst der Teufel Fliegen

  • in der Not frißt der Teufel Fliegen obsolete

Source: English Wiktionary and German Wiktionary (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).

How do you pronounce in der Not frisst der Teufel Fliegen?

  • /ɪn dɛɐ̯ ˈnoːt fʁɪst dɛɐ̯ ˌtɔʏ̯fəl ˈfliːɡən/
  • [ɪn deːɐ̯ ˈnoːt fʁɪst deːɐ̯ ˈtɔɪ̯fl̩ ˈfliːɡn̩]

Sources: English Wiktionary, German Wiktionary (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026); recordings from Wikimedia Commons.