IdiomThe Absurd
French
FrenchC'est l'hôpital qui se fout de la charité
Meaning: Said when someone criticizes another for a flaw they share themselves; the pot calling the kettle black.
Literally: It's the hospital making fun of the charity ward
Example: “Lui, me reprocher d'être en retard ? C'est l'hôpital qui se fout de la charité !” — Him, criticizing me for being late? That's the pot calling the kettle black!
English equivalent: The pot calling the kettle black
Other ways to say this
Hungarian: Bagoly mondja verébnek, hogy nagyfejű Literally: The owl tells the sparrow it's big-headed
Arabic: الجمل ما يشوف عوجة رقبته (Al-jamal mā yshūf 'awjat raqabatuh) Literally: The camel can't see the bend in its own neck
Spanish: cachicamo diciéndole a morrocoy conchudo Literally: Armadillo telling tortoise shell-backed
German: ein Esel schimpft den andern Langohr Literally: One donkey scolds the other long-ear
Portuguese: sujo falando do mal lavado Literally: Dirty speaking of the badly washed- French: La paille et la poutre Literally: The straw and the beam
English: the pot calling the kettle black- Spanish: Dijo la sartén al cazo Literally: Said the frying pan to the saucepan
Italian: Il bue che dice cornuto all'asino Literally: The ox calling the donkey "horned"
Japanese: 目くそ鼻くそを笑う (Mekuso hanakuso o warau) Literally: Eye gunk laughs at nose gunk
Korean: 똥 묻은 개가 겨 묻은 개 나무란다 (Ttong mudeun gaega gyeo mudeun gae namuranda) Literally: The dog with dung on it scolds the dog with chaff on it
Dutch: De pot verwijt de ketel dat hij zwart is Literally: The pot reproaches the kettle for being black
Polish: Przyganiał kocioł garnkowi Literally: The cauldron scolded the pot- Portuguese: Diz o roto ao nu: porque não te vestes tu? Literally: Says the ragged man to the naked one: why don't you get dressed?
Russian: Чья бы корова мычала, а твоя бы молчала (Ch'ya by korova mychala, a tvoya by molchala) Literally: Anyone's cow might moo, but yours should keep quiet
Turkish: Tencere dibin kara, seninki benden kara Literally: "Pot, your bottom is black!" "Yours is blacker than mine."
Chinese: 五十步笑百步 (Wǔshí bù xiào bǎi bù) Literally: Fifty paces laughing at a hundred paces
Origin: Refers to 19th-century France, where hospitals and charity wards both existed to care for the poor and sick, so one mocking the other was pure hypocrisy. The standard, politer form is c'est l'hôpital qui se moque de la charité.
More French idioms
- Allonger pour le compte To knock someone out in a boxing match; to fell someone.
- Avancer masqué To act in a hidden or anonymous way, concealing one's intentions or identity.
- Passer un savon To scold or rebuke someone harshly.
- Ne pas fermer l’œil de la nuit To be unable to sleep; to stay awake all night.
- Baisser pavillon To concede defeat or accept inferiority; to surrender.
- Réduire la voilure To cut back on spending, resources, or ambitions.
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