pay the piper figure of speech

What Does Pay the Piper Mean?

Home » Phrase and Idiom Dictionary » What Does Pay the Piper Mean?

Pay the Piper Meaning

Definition: To face the consequences of one’s actions.

Origin of Pay the Piper

This expression originated around the 1680s. Many sources suggest that it comes from the story The Pied Piper of Hamelin .

The story of the pied piper takes place in the 1200s. The town, Hamelin, had a rat infestation. A man in colorful clothes offered to get rid of all the rats, for a fee. The town agreed, and the man played a pipe to get all the rats to leave the town and drown themselves in a nearby river.

When the piper came to collect payment, the townspeople told him that they would not pay. The rats were already gone, so they had no reason to make good on their debt. As revenge, the pied piper played his pipe to get all the children of the town to follow him away. It is unclear what happened to the children after that.

Although the rat portion of this story is fiction, historical records do show that this town lost its children at that time. The exact cause is unknown.

The idea behind this idiom is that if you do not pay the piper (or pay your debts), something bad will happen to you. A variation of this expression is pay the fiddler . A possibly related idiom is he who pays the piper calls the tune.

Examples of Pay the Piper

Ted: Listen, I’ve asked you multiple times to return my shirt. Do it now.

Rufio: Or what? What could you do to me if I decide to keep it forever?

Ted: Just trust me. It’s time to pay the piper. If you don’t do it something bad will happen to you.

Zayna: I accidentally told Susan that I think she’s annoying.

Ben: So I guess that friendship is over.

Zayna: I hope it’s not. I’m going to go apologize.

Ben: Aren’t you worried that she’ll yell at you?

Zayna: Yes, but I deserve it. I insulted her, so I’ve got to pay the piper. If letting her yell at me can make her forgive me, I’ve got to try.

More Examples

The quote is from one football player talking about another in a positive way.

• “We definitely have the talent. But now we just got to pay the piper, go do the work,” said Marshall. “You know what, it’s gonna be special. (Manning) is a born leader. He’s a true leader. I’ve enjoyed my time with him so far.” – New York Daily News

This excerpt is from an article about a doctor in legal trouble.

• Authorities say a pill-pushing doctor who is criminally charged for teaming with an ex-Brooklyn Assemblyman to peddle millions of Oxycodone tablets to addicted patients should be forced to pay the piper. – New York Post

The phrase pay the piper means to take responsibility for what one owes or deserves .

Pay the Piper: Meaning, Origin & Correct Usage

What does it mean when someone says you must pay the piper ? Discover the meaning and origin of the phrase with our guide.

We all have to pay the piper or face the consequences of our missteps . This age-old idiom has survived for at least two centuries despite the fact that most people nowadays have never seen a piper in person, much less paid one.

According to Dictionary.com , to pay the piper means to “pay the consequences for self-indulgent behavior.” 

This idiom, like many others, aims to present the listener with a form of condensed wisdom. The central idea is that your life cannot all be careless enjoyment and that you must fulfill your duties or face the consequences. 

If you want to know more about how to use idioms, metaphors, and so on, read our guide on how to use figurative language .

Pay The Piper – The Myth Behind the Saying

What is an idiom, importance and usage of idioms, connected meanings, idioms, pay the piper synonyms , using pay the piper in a sentence.

A piper is a person who plays on a pipe or a bagpipe. The expression “pay the piper” comes from the tale of the myth of the Pied Piper of Hamelin, a town in Germany’s region of Lower Saxony. Legend has it the piper was hired to clear out the rats from the town, which he did by luring them away with a song. 

Once his task was complete, the piper demanded payment, but the townspeople refused. To get his revenge, the piper played another tune, this time stealing all of the children in the town. The story highlights the importance of keeping your promises and commitments, or else consequences will come knocking. 

The medieval legend was picked up by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, who traveled Europe collecting tales of folklore. More than 209 stories were collated and retold by the duo in their 1812 book Grimm’s Fairy Tales . 

The tale of the Pied Piper, however, may be more than just a myth. An inscription on a house in Hamelin dating to 1604 suggests, as cited by a BBC article , that on 26 June 1284, around 130 children disappeared from the village of Hamelin. 

The idiom’s survival and popularity can also be partly attributed to English poet and playwright Robert Browning. In 1849, he authored a poem titled The Pied Piper of Hamelin , inspired by the Grimm brothers’ story, further increasing the popularity of the myth.

Before delving deeper into the origin and meaning behind the expression “pay the piper,” let us revisit the definition of idioms.

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, an idiom is an expression or phrase with a meaning that cannot be derived from the meanings of its components. Nothing in “pay” or “piper,” taken separately, suggests the idea of consequences or responsibility.  

Therefore, an idiom is not meant to be taken literally. Instead, its meaning can be derived culturally and sustained through continued use.

Some examples of idioms are:

• Pay through the nose – which suggests that you have to pay an excessive amount of money for something.
• Play hardball – which means to act tough or to negotiate in an uncompromising way.
• Barking up the wrong tree – which means to pursue the wrong course of action.
• Bite the hand that feeds – which means to act against your own interests or act ungratefully.

Idioms carry a cultural meaning and can pinpoint the user to a certain country or region, as some idioms are specific to specific geographic locations. They can also be used to convey complex ideas with more ease, especially in speaking.

Some idioms have been abandoned or are used infrequently; therefore, their meaning nowadays is a complete mystery to many people. This in itself is a reason for individuals to remain well-read in order to retain such cultural gems. Some examples are:

• Know your onions – meaning being knowledgeable about a certain subject.
• Nail one’s colors to the mast – a British saying that means being open about something.
• Mad as a hatter – an idiom meant to signal that one is insane.

Aside from “pay the piper,” the story left us with “pied piper,” which, according to the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary , is often used to describe a particularly persuasive person or trend-setter. 

Another connected idiom is “he who pays the piper calls the tune,” which means that the person paying or making the effort for something is the one who will be in charge of it or receive its benefits. The meaning of this idiom is quite different from that of “pay the piper,” signaling not the idea of consequences but the rightful attribution of authority. 

Nevertheless, “pay the piper” is a more popular saying, commonly used now to refer to the consequences of our own decisions or actions. 

Interestingly, there is a diverging theory regarding the origin of “pay the piper.” According to this theory, published on TheIdioms.com , the idiom comes from the medieval custom of paying a musician at the end of their performance. Despite not wanting to part with their money, the crowd that enjoyed the music must still pay for its entertainment.

Other phrases have a similar meaning to that of “pay the piper” and signal the fact that consequences must always be faced. These are:

• Face the music
• Take one’s medicine
• Take the rap
• Bite the bullet
• Come to grips with

Here are some examples of how to use pay the piper in a sentence correctly:

• I’m exhausted, I stayed up all night watching a new TV show, so now I have to pay the piper . 
• He had to pay the piper after ignoring his responsibilities for so long.
• She spent all of her savings on holidays, so she’s paying the piper now.
• The government deferred investments for years, and they paid the piper when the bridge collapsed. 
• Listen to your body and the signals it gives, or pay the piper later.

Radu has been writing for a decade as a copywriter, journalist, and academic writer. He was nominated for the European Press Prize in 2019 and authored a book on campaign finance and corporate personhood in the United States. Books are Radu’s passion, particularly science fiction, fantasy, historical fiction, and nonfiction. Check out his YouTube channel .

View all posts

pay the piper

• to bear the ill-effects of something that was enjoyable at one time
• to have to pay for something that was fun
• to be bearing the consequences of something that was enjoyed
• to pay the cost for decadent activities

Example Sentences

• The man controlled every aspect of his wife’s life until he was asked to pay the piper.
• I paid the piper. The movie show that I had booked for the entire staff is now fully paid for.
• The lady took my services but now refuses to pay the piper .
• Nobody likes to pay the piper but you will eventually have to pay for the damage that you have caused in your juvenility.
• Paying the piper is the right thing to do.
• When exams are near every student should pay the piper by studying extra hours to get passed.

Believed by many to be originated from the story of “Pied Piper of Hamelin” in which a piper got rid of the rats in a town but when he was not paid, he kidnapped the children in the same manner and they were at last required to “pay the piper”, but it may not be the accurate origin.

The another thought about the origin of “pay the piper” expression comes from paying a musician at the end of the performance. This is something that people do not like doing even though they would have enjoyed the tune to their fullest.

What's on your mind?

Similar Idioms

• prick up ears
• piece of writing
• pay as you go

Pay The Piper

Used as an idiom since the mid to late-1800’s.

Pay the Piper Meaning

To  pay the piper  means to accept and to bear the consequences for some action or circumstance (usually something you’ve done wrong or badly).

Many sources, however, claim the meaning of this idiom is to pay the cost of an undertaking and thus be in charge of it. However, this usage of the expression is related to an earlier version “he who pays the piper calls the tune.” This does not reflect today’s use of the idiom which almost always refers to the consequences of a bad act.

Examples Of Use

“You committed the crime, now it’s time to pay the piper.”

“The king ruled cruelly for many years but in the end, once the people had had enough, he paid the piper.”

“Keep eating like that and eventually you’ll have to pay the piper.”

Pay the Piper Origin

Pay the piper comes from the famous 1842 poem by Robert Browning, The Pied Piper of Hamelin . The story is about a German town called Hamelin which, after years of contentment, was suddenly plagued by a huge increase in the rat population, probably due to some plague or poison which had killed all the cats. The rats swarmed all over, causing much damage. Try as they might, the townspeople could not get rid of the rats.

Then appeared a mysterious stranger bearing a gold pipe. He announced that he had freed many towns from beetles and bats, and for a cost, he would get rid of the rats for the town.

Although he only wanted a thousand florins, the people were so desperate that the Mayor promised him 50,000 for his trouble, if he could succeed.

At dawn, the piper began playing his flute in the town and all the rats came out of hiding and followed behind him. In this way, he led them out of the town. All the rats were gone.

When the piper came back to collect his pay, the town refused to pay even his original fee of one thousand florins. The mayor, thinking the rats were dead, told the piper he should be happy if he received any pay at all, even fifty florins.

The pied piper warned the town angrily that they would regret cheating him out of his pay.

Despite his dire warning, the rats were gone so the townspeople went about their business, at last enjoying a peaceful nights sleep without the scurrying and gnawing of rats.

At dawn, while they slept, the sound of the piper’s pipe could be heard again, except this time only by the children. All the children got out of bed and followed behind the piper, just as the rats had before. The piper led the children out of town and into a mountainous cave. After all the children had walked into the cave, a great landslide sealed up the entrance. One little boy managed to escape and tell the town what had happened to the children. Although they tried, they could never rescue them, and they were lost forever.

Even after more children were born, the town never forgot this fatal lesson. The piper will get his due!

More Idioms Starting with P

• Play Hardball
• Pain in the Neck, a
• Par For the Course
• Perish the Thought

More Pay Idioms

• Pay Through the Nose
• Arm and a Leg, an
• Rob Peter to Pay Paul

More From Idioms Online

Pay the Piper – Meaning, Origin and Usage

Do you have some bills that need to be paid for and you need a quick, colloquial expression that tells other people this in a few words? The term 'pay the piper' is most often used as a sentence that expresses this action (or call to action). This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression.

The saying ' pay the piper' or 'to pay the piper' is a type of figurative saying that is used to refer to financial or other obligations which have to be met.

The term is sometimes alternatively used as 'to pay the fiddler' and the meaning of this variation is considered identical to the expression which says to pay the piper.

When someone is going to 'pay the piper' it means that they are going to pay for something or settle a bill.

The expression 'pay the piper' is a derivative expression of a longer one , which is that 'those who pay the piper carry the tune.'

The longer expression implies that the financial obligation of paying for something elevates someone's status to have a say about how (or sometimes when) action is taken with the money.

The most basic meaning of the expression says that someone who has paid for something gets to “call the shots” about what happens next.

The shorter expression 'pay the piper' is usually used to refer mostly to financial obligations, and things that need to be taken care of or paid for.

Example Usage

“I'll be right back once I've gone to the store. I've just gotten my salary, and it's time to go pay the piper first.”

“If I paid for the food, then I get to say what we're going to put on the pizza and I like pineapples. You know that old expression about the one that pays the piper? Get the pineapple because I said so.”

“You know what your dad had to do to keep your mother happy? He had to work himself to death for most of the year, and he had nothing left once he had paid the piper.”

“There's a lot of things that will get you far in life, but the first thing you have to do if you want to be financially responsible is to make sure you pay the piper when it's time to do so. It's the best way to stay out of trouble.”

The origin of the term 'paying the piper' is said to originate from the mid-1800s with the poem The Pied Piper of Hamelin written by author Robert Browning.

When a town is overrun by an uncontrollable plague, the town 'pays the piper' to lead the rats out of town. Unfortunately, he is dissatisfied with the townspeople and eventually leads their children out of town with the rats – in some versions of the story, the rats and children are both drowned in the river outside of town.

The implication of the term is that those who didn't 'pay the piper' thus paid for their actions with a price higher than money.

Phrases Similar to Pay the Piper

• Pay your dues

Phrases Opposite to Pay the Piper

What is the correct saying.

• [to] pay the piper
• paying the piper
• he who pays the piper calls the tune

Ways People May Say Pay the Piper Incorrectly

There are several different ways in which the term 'pay the piper' can be used in the wrong ways, usually when the context of the term is not understood by the person saying it (or by the people it is being said to).

The expression is never used in the plural form, and nobody is ever told to 'pay the pipers'.

Acceptable Ways to Phrase Pay the Piper

The term 'pay the piper' can be used to indicate that someone has just catered to a financial obligation (or they are about to).

The expression can be used in any tense, and its meaning is metaphorical due to the lack of a physical piper to be paid.

The longer expression '[they who] pay the piper calls the tune' is also acceptable and it means to say that people who pay the bills, get to “call the shots”.

Related posts:

• Robbing Peter to Pay Paul - Meaning, Origin and Usage
• Paint the Town Red - Meaning, Origin and Usage
• Per Diem – Meaning, Origin and Usage
• That Being Said - Meaning, Origin and Usage
• Beck and Call - Meaning, Origin and Usage
• Why Do They Call It Oven? – Meaning, Origin and Usage

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience and security.

Pay the piper/fiddler

Origin of: pay the piper/fiddler.

The complete expression is ‘he who pays the piper calls the tune’ meaning that whoever puts up the money has the right to control events and is first cited in English in 1638. It is often claimed that the expression derives from the 14th century German legend of the Pied Piper of Hamelin who was contracted to get rid of the town’s infestation of rats. When the town folk refused to ‘pay the piper’, he led the town’s children to their doom. Although the Pied Piper legend first appeared in English in 1605, it was in a little-known work by Richard Verstegan, alias Richard Rowlands, and was not widely known to the public until Robert Browning’s version of the legend appeared in poetic form in 1842. It is highly unlikely, therefore, the Pied Piper had anything to do with the origin of the expression. From the Middle Ages, British people had been enjoying the music of travelling pipers and fiddlers, so paying the piper and having the right to choose what he played must have been going on for a long time before the expression became figurative in the early 1600s.

Definition of 'pay the piper'

Pay the piper in american english, examples of 'pay the piper' in a sentence pay the piper, browse alphabetically pay the piper.

• pay the bill
• pay the check
• pay the difference
• pay the piper
• pay the piper and call the tune
• pay through the nose
• pay through the nose for something
• All ENGLISH words that begin with 'P'

Related terms of pay the piper

Quick word challenge

Quiz Review

Score: 0 / 5

Wordle Helper

Scrabble Tools