Another frequently used expression in colloquial English is “the pot calling the kettle black.”

This expression is the “notion of someone criticizing someone else for something they could easily apply to themselves.”

The meaning behind this phrase is that the pot would be criticizing the kettle for being black when the pot is also black. The origin of this phrase comes from a translation of Don Quixote and later used by William Penn.

The idea of the expression probably comes from Shakespeare when he alludes to a raven “chiding blackness.” Although the phrase itself has slightly changed over the years, the meaning behind it has stayed the same.

The Pot Calling the Kettle Black

Here is an example of how this expression is used:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1251411/Like-pot-calling-kettle-black-Furious-Rangers-striker-Kris-Boyd-hits-Hibernians-Merouane-Zemmama.html

(see title and 9th paragraph)

This story tells about one soccer player (Boyd) who claims that his opponent (Zemmama) flopped (cavou falta) when he made it look like he had been elbowed in the face.

Boyd further expresses his rage that Zemmama would criticize Kenny (one of Boyd’s teammates) for flopping and says it is a case of the pot calling the kettle black.

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