devil take the hindmost, the

Idioms  

1. Let everyone put his or her own interest first, leaving the unfortunate to their fate. For example, I don't care if she makes it or not—the devil take the hindmost. This expression, first recorded in 1608, probably originated as an allusion to a children's game in which the last (coming “hindmost”) is the loser, and came to mean utter selfishness.

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Example Sentences

Let the devil take the hindmost; the three or four hindmost if you will; nay, all but those strong-running horses who can force themselves into noticeable places under the judge's eye.

From The Bertrams by Trollope, Anthony