cast the first stone
Meaning: To be the first to condemn someone.
Language: English
Literally: (Already vivid in English)
Example: “Before you cast the first stone, remember your own mistakes.”
Category: Daily Life
Origin: From the Gospel of John (8:7): when a crowd is about to stone a woman accused of adultery, Jesus says, "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her."
Equivalents in other languages
- French: Jeter la première pierre — literally: To cast the first stone
More idioms — Daily Life
- steal a march on — To gain an advantage by acting before someone else.
- throw someone under the bus — To betray or blame someone to save oneself.
- take stock — To review a situation carefully before deciding what to do.
- with pomp and circumstance — With great ceremony and display.
- reinvent the wheel — To waste effort creating something that already exists.
- a Pyrrhic victory — A win that costs so much it is almost a defeat.
More English idioms
- the bee's knees — Something or someone excellent.
- protect one's turf — To defend one's area of control or responsibility against others.
- chase rainbows — To pursue something unrealistic.
- go to rack and ruin — To fall into a state of decay through neglect.
- on one's toes — Alert and ready to react.
- left high and dry — Stranded or abandoned without help.
From our proverbs
- When I have thatched his house he would throw me down. — Ingratitude punishes generosity: helping someone complete their security makes them bold…
- Give a thief rope enough and he'll hang himself. — A criminal given freedom eventually exposes himself through his own continued wrongdoing.
- The thief's sorry because he is caught, not because he is the thief. — Criminals regret consequences, not their crimes; remorse born from punishment lacks genui…