What does calling someone kettle mean?
a situation in which one person criticizes another for a fault the first person also has: Sean called me a liar – that’s the pot calling the kettle black!
Where did the saying cat calling the kettle black come from?
The original phrase comes from a 1620 translation of the Cervantes novel Don Quixote: “You are like what is said that the frying-pan said to the kettle, ‘Avaunt, black-brows’.”
Who called the kettle black?
This phrase originates in Cervantes’ Don Quixote, or at least in Thomas Shelton’s 1620 translation – Cervantes Saavedra’s History of Don Quixote: “You are like what is said that the frying-pan said to the kettle, ‘Avant, black-browes’.”
Why does the poet call the kettle black?
Meaning of “The pot calling the kettle black” This idiom used to remind someone that they’re guilty of the same thing that they’re accusing another of. The “thing” that one has in common with their accuser could be absolutely anything. The phrase is cited as an example of what’s known as physiological projection.
What is the meaning of knows the ropes?
To be familiar with the details of an operation: “You won’t have to train the new computer operator; she already knows the ropes.”
What does fly off the handle?
Definition of fly off the handle informal. : to lose control of one’s emotions : to become very angry He tends to fly off the handle when people disagree with him.
What does gone to the dogs mean?
to become ruined
Definition of go to the dogs informal. : to become ruined : to change to a much worse condition Our favorite restaurant has gone to the dogs lately. The economy is going to the dogs.
Why is it close but no cigar?
It comes from traveling fairs and carnivals from the 1800s. The prizes back then were not giant-sized stuffed teddy bears, they were usually cigars or bottles of whiskey. If you missed the prize at a carnival game, the carnie folk would shout, “Close! But no cigar!”