Idiom
it takes one to know one
Meaning
Expressing the same underlying character-judgment themes as pot calling the kettle black or set a thief to catch a thief.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“He called me lazy, but it takes one to know one.”
“When my friend accused me of being stubborn, I laughed and said it takes one to know one.”
“She dismissed his criticism of her dishonesty, retorting that it takes one to know one in such matters of character.”
Examples
simple
“He called me lazy, but it takes one to know one.”
contextual
“When my friend accused me of being stubborn, I laughed and said it takes one to know one.”
complex
“She dismissed his criticism of her dishonesty, retorting that it takes one to know one in such matters of character.”
Origin
20th-century retort; descends from the older proverb 'it takes a thief to catch a thief' (17th century).
Key words
Related idioms
- Level
- B1 · Intermediate
- Updated