# pot calling the kettle black

idiom · CEFR B1

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/pot-calling-the-kettle-black
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

A situation in which somebody comments on or accuses someone else of a fault which the accuser shares.

## Examples

- He says I am lazy, which is the pot calling the kettle black.
- You say I talk too much, but that is the pot calling the kettle black.
- It is the pot calling the kettle black when you call me messy.
- She accused me of being late, but that is the pot calling the kettle black since she is always behind schedule.
- My brother told me to stop spending money on clothes, but it was the pot calling the kettle black because he just bought a new car.
- The manager warned us about using phones at work, though we all knew it was the pot calling the kettle black as he texts all day.
- Our neighbor complained about our noisy dog, which was the pot calling the kettle black since his own dogs bark every single night.
- When the politician criticized his opponent for being dishonest, the public recognized it as the pot calling the kettle black, given his own history of deception.

## Origin

From Cervantes' Don Quixote (1605; in Thomas Shelton's 1620 English translation, 'the pot calls the kettle black-arse') — both are blackened by the same cooking fire. (disputed)

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.