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Pay the piper

verb

Definitions

Verb
  1. 1
    To pay expenses for something, and thus be in a position to be in control. idiomatic

    "Those that pay the piper must command the tune."

  2. 2
    To pay a monetary or other debt or experience unfavorable consequences, especially when the payment or consequences are inevitable or a result of something one has enjoyed. idiomatic

    "[T]he very constitution of society is based upon this volunteer system of paying the piper. Honest men pay the piper for rogues, and full purses for empty ones."

Etymology

Sense 1 is from the English phrase who pays the piper calls the tune; sense 2 may allude to the pied piper.

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