Needs Must.

June 25, 2025 by 8 Comments

The phrase “needs must” popped into my head, and I realized it was so elliptical I had no idea how it worked grammatically or how it originated. Fortunately, the OED updated the entry needs adv. “Of necessity, necessarily, unavoidably” in 2003, so I can provide a satisfying answer. This is under II. “With the modal auxiliaries †mote and must, emphasizing the sense of the verb”:

II.4.b. needs must: it is necessary or unavoidable. Cf. needs must that needs shall at shall v. III.27c.
Apparently originally the impersonal use of must (see must v.¹ II.3c [“It behoves (or behoved), it is (or was) necessary to”]) with anaphoric ellipsis of the main verb; by the 19th cent. used in isolation (probably originally as a shortened form of needs must when the devil drives: see sense II.5). Now frequently taken to be a plural noun and verb.

1604 We beleeue them no more then needs must.
E. Grimeston, translation of True Historie of Siege of Ostend 195

1629 Her vnaduised sickle shall not thrust Into her hopefull Haruest, ere needs must.
F. Quarles, Argalus & Parthenia i. 36
[…]

1734 I shall stay no longer in Dublin than needs must.
G. Berkeley, Letter in Works (1871) vol. IV. 218
[…]

1821 I..would have no more of these follies than needs must.
W. Scott, Kenilworth vol. II. iv. 73

1839 ‘Faith, then, needs must,’ said the ensign.
W. M. Thackeray, Catherine vi. 112
[…]

a1902 Then needs must that Laura go with the cook to see if the range was finally and properly adjusted.
F. Norris, Pit (1903) ii. 51
[…]

1998 ‘I’m pleased you have adapted yourself to our work ethic so readily.’ Larkin shook his head. ‘Needs must.’
M. Waites, Little Triggers (1999) ii. 17

Here’s the section on the “devil drives” phrase:

II.5. In proverbial phrases. needs must that needs shall: see shall v. III.27c. †needs must he go whom the devil drives, needs must when the Devil drives, and variants; cf. drive v. Phrases P.2.

c1500 (?a1475) He must nedys go that the deuell dryues.
Assembly of Gods (1896) 21 (Middle English Dictionary)
[Composed ?a1475]

1523 Nedes must he rin that the deuyll dryuith.
J. Skelton, Goodly Garlande of Laurell 1434

1532 He must needes go, whom the dyuel dryueth.
T. More, Confutation of Tyndale in Wks. (1557) 557/1
[…]

a1616 Hee must needes goe that the diuell driues.
W. Shakespeare, All’s Well that ends Well (1623) i. iii. 29

a1658 The Proverb, needs must go when th’ Devil drives.
J. Cleveland, Coachman of St. James’s in Works (1687) 346
[…]

1839 Needs must..when somebody drives.
C. Dickens, Nicholas Nickleby v. 34
[…]

1956 I think we had better have a cab. An extravagance, of course, but needs must where the devil drives, eh?
G. Durrell, My Family & Other Animals xiv. 189

1985 Needs must when the devil vomits into your kettle.
R. Curtis & B. Elton, Blackadder II in R. Curtis et al., Blackadder: Whole Damn Dynasty (1998) 185/1

And needs must that needs shall is s.v. shall III. “Elliptical and quasi-elliptical uses”:

III.27.c. † With generalized ellipsis in proverbial phrase: needs must that needs shall = ‘he or she must whom fate compels’. Obsolete.

c1330 O nedes he sschal, þat nedes mot.
Seven Sages (Auchinleck MS.) (1933) 1473

(a1393) It is seid thus overal, That nedes mot that nede schal.
J. Gower, Confessio Amantis (Fairfax MS.) iii. 352
[Composed a1393]

a1592 Then needs must needs sal.
R. Greene, Scottish Historie of Iames IV (1598) sig. A3ᵛ

(I’m not sure why the date for the Gower citation is in parens.) It’s a blast to see the OED quoting Blackadder!

Comments

  1. Brett says
    June 25, 2025 at 11:00 am

    Needs must was discussed in the comments on this 2009 Language Log post about a different double modal.

  2. languagehat says
    June 25, 2025 at 12:02 pm

    Sure enough (CIngram, June 13, 2009 @ 10:49 am) — how on earth did you remember that?

  3. Yuval says
    June 25, 2025 at 1:33 pm

    And then there’s needs washed, presumably a totally different phenomenon?

  4. languagehat says
    June 25, 2025 at 1:35 pm

    Yup, there “needs” is the ordinary verb, not an archaic adverb.

  5. Y says
    June 25, 2025 at 1:44 pm

    Cf. must needs.

  6. Stephen Goranson says
    June 25, 2025 at 2:25 pm

    A.E. Housman

    This time of year a twelvemonth past,
    When Fred and I would meet,
    We needs must jangle, till at last
    We fought and I was beat.

    ~~~~~
    And till they drop they needs must still
    Look at you and wish you ill”

    ~~~~
    (still used in Morse or Endeavour)

  7. mollymooly says
    June 25, 2025 at 5:05 pm

    I’m not sure why the date for the Gower citation is in parens

    Dating Middle English evidence in the OED

    Very many texts are presented with two dates, for example:

    c1400 (?c1380) Pearl

    The first date here is the manuscript (or document) date, and the second date is the date of composition of the text.

    […]

    A few sources (although some of them frequently cited ones) are cited only by the date of composition. This generally follows the policy of the Middle English Dictionary, in which the composition date is often given as the only date when it is less than 25 years earlier than the date of the principal manuscript. In a number of cases, there is the additional complication that the manuscript tradition and the nature of the available scholarly editions mean that quoting from an edited text is the best available option for lexicographical purposes.

    Thus Gower’s Confessio Amantis is cited by its composition date of a1393 in the OED, citations appearing in this style:

    (a1393) Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairfax MS.)

    Note a1393 means “ante 1393″, not “after 1393”.

  8. languagehat says
    June 25, 2025 at 5:27 pm

    Thanks!

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