I saw the movie "Love Hard" yesterday. In the film, the little brother hates his big brother.
The little brother is at home and suddenly he hears his big brother's voice when the big brother visits him.
The little brother says "Speak of the devil"
The dictionary just says
(informal) people say speak/talk of the devil when somebody they have
been talking about appears unexpectedlyWell, speak of the devil—here's Alice now!
It did not say whether the speaker hates the arriver or not.
I really respect my grandma, and when my grandma suddenly visits my house.
Is it rude to say "Speak of the devil- Here is Grandma now!"?
Best Answer
This phrase comes from a very old superstition that naming the Devil would cause him to appear — see The Phrase Finder.
Over the centuries it has developed into a light-hearted saying that doesn't imply hatred of the person arriving, though it would depend on your relationship with them (and the tone in which you said it) whether you thought it was appropriate. I seem to remember my own grandmother, many years ago, saying "Talking of angels..." instead, but I can't find any reference online to this or similar expressions, so maybe it was her own invention.