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

Etymology:

  • There are two interpretations of this phrase, though some sources give only the first interpretation.
  • In the first interpretation, it refers to the fact that both cast-iron pots' and kettles' bottoms turn equally black when hung over a fire, and thus the pot is accusing the kettle of a fault it shares.
  • In the second, subtler interpretation, the pot is sooty, while the kettle is clean and shiny, and hence when the pot accuses the kettle of being black, it is the pot’s own sooty reflection that it sees: the pot accuses the kettle of a fault that only the pot has.
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I think it's a case of the pot calling the kettle black when she says he is obsessive. She is much more obsessive.

Submitted on September 01, 2009

Modified by TriplePurple on March 21, 2024

Translation

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pott kaller vannkoker svart

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    "pot calling the kettle black." Phrases.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Mar. 2024. <https://www.phrases.com/phrase/pot-calling-the-kettle-black_6195>.

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