Idiom – Pot Calling The Kettle Black

Janice Thompson,

Updated On May 19, 2021

Contents

1 Pot Calling The Kettle Black – Idiom of the Day

Pot Calling The Kettle Black – Idiom of the Day

Meaning:

Being already at fault and making fun of another person for having the same fault. Also means hypocrisy.

History:

History dates back to the early 16th century. At that time, pots and kettles were made of cast iron. Cast iron turned black when exposed to heat. There is evidence of this idiom being used in the translation of Don Quixote by Thomas Shelton in 1620. There are also references of William Penn, father of Pennsylvania penning this idiom in 1693.

Idiom scenarios:

Scenario 1:

John ( To Friend 2 and Friend 3) : Simon is a cheat. He is selling adulterated goods.
(Saying this Friend 1 leaves)
Friend 2: Is John true? Is Simon a cheat?
Friend 3: Oh! No! It is the pot calling the kettle black. John and Simon are doing the same thing.

Scenario 2:

Manager ( To his employees in the pantry) : My boss is a real terror. (Saying this he leaves)
Employee 1: How can our boss work under him?
Employee 2: What is our boss then? It is the pot calling the kettle black.

Scenario 3:

Mrs. Tina ( Complaining to Principal) : Mrs. Darcy’s son, Tom is very mischievous.
(Principal enquires about this)
Principal: Is Tom very mischievous?
Teacher: Oh! It is the pot calling the kettle black. Her son Jack is all the more prankish.

Examples:

Go through the examples to understand the usage of the idiom:

1. The finance ministry accusing the Home ministry of bribery is the pot calling the kettle black.
2. “Lazy Joe is complaining about Dick’s laziness. It is the pot calling the kettle black”
3. “Are you calling me rude? It is the pot calling the kettle black”.

Janice Thompson

Soon after graduating with a Master’s in Literature from Southern Arkansas University, she joined an institute as an English language trainer. She has had innumerous student interactions and has produced a couple of research papers on English language teaching. She soon found that non-native speakers struggled to meet the English language requirements set by foreign universities. It was when she decided to jump ship into IELTS training. From then on, she has been mentoring IELTS aspirants. She joined IELTSMaterial about a year ago, and her contributions have been exceptional. Her essay ideas and vocabulary have taken many students to a band 9.