DutchDe pot verwijt de ketel dat hij zwart is
Meaning: Someone criticizes another person for a fault they have themselves.
Literally: The pot reproaches the kettle for being black
Example: “Hij noemt mij slordig, terwijl zijn bureau een puinhoop is. De pot verwijt de ketel dat hij zwart is.” — He calls me sloppy when his own desk is a mess. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.
English equivalent: The pot calling the kettle black
Equivalents in other languages
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
French: C'est l'hôpital qui se fout de la charité Literally: It's the hospital making fun of the charity ward
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
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: The same picture as the English: two vessels hung over an open fire, both black with soot. Harrebomée's Dutch proverb dictionary (1858–1862) records it as de pot verwijt den ketel (of: heugel), dat hij zwart is, the heugel being the iron hook the pot hung from. He also lists de ketel gekt met den pot, "the kettle makes fun of the pot."
More Dutch idioms
- Het sop is de kool niet waard It isn't worth the trouble.
- Helaas, pindakaas Too bad, nothing can be done about it.
- Nu komt de aap uit de mouw The truth is finally revealed.
- Met de deur in huis vallen To get straight to the point without any preamble.
- Iets voor een appel en een ei kopen To get something for next to nothing.
- De hond in de pot vinden To arrive too late — the food, or the opportunity, is gone.
Explore another collection: Compliments & Insults
Compliments and insults from around the world, from the sweet to the savage.
- Tu es un as You're brilliant at what you do — the very best.
- Tu as de la répartie You're brilliantly quick-witted — always ready with the perfect comeback.
- Eres un crack You're brilliant — a total star at what you do.
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