The pot calling the kettle black
Meaning
This phrase describes a situation where someone criticizes another for a fault that the criticizer also possesses.
Origin
Imagine a dimly lit kitchen in 17th-century Europe, where cooking took place over open fires. Pots and kettles, typically made of cast iron, would inevitably become blackened with soot from the flames. The phrase burst into the English lexicon in 1620, appearing in Thomas Shelton's translation of Miguel de Cervantes's Don Quixote. It captures the absurdity of one blackened cooking vessel chastising another for its identical, unavoidable sooty appearance, instantly painting a vivid picture of hypocrisy that has resonated through the centuries.
Examples
- My brother complained about me being late, but that's the pot calling the kettle black since he's always tardy himself.
- She accused him of being messy, but considering her own cluttered desk, it was a classic case of the pot calling the kettle black.