" The pot calling the kettle black " is a proverbial idiom that may be of Spanish (or ultimately Italian) origin, of which English versions began to appear in the first half of the 17th century.

What's the meaning of the phrase 'The pot calling the kettle black'? ‘The pot calling the kettle black’ is a response often given when someone criticises another for a fault they also have themselves.

“The pot calling the kettle black” is a commonly used English idiom that has its origins in the 17th century. Its context and phrasing have changed since then, but it still has an interesting impact on …

The idiom “the pot calling the kettle black” is used to describe a situation in which someone is criticizing another person for a fault that they themselves also have. The phrase is often used to point out …

(Definition of the pot calling the kettle black from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

If you talk about the pot calling the kettle black, you mean that a person who has accused someone of having a fault has the same fault themselves. His accusations must have sounded like the pot calling …

Feb 6, 2026 · Noun pot calling the kettle black (idiomatic) A situation in which somebody comments on or accuses someone else of a fault which the accuser shares.

May 18, 2022 · Are you looking for a saying to describe someone being a hypocrite? You could use the phrase “ the pot calling the kettle black ” to describe the speaker's hypocritic judgment. This post …

Used to describe a situation in which people criticize and blame someone else for a fault, mistake or weakness that they also have themselves I can’t believe that he accused me of being selfish. That is …

Specifically comparing a pot and kettle dates to the days when all cooking was done over an open flame. The smoke from the fire caused soot to accumulate on the cookware, making it black.