Morris explanation
Posted by ESC on January 02, 2000
In Reply to: Pot calling the kettle black -
ethnic slur? posted by Donna Finley on January 01, 2000 at
: It's clear that "the pot calling the kettle black" refers to
criticism that could equally apply to the critic. But why is "black"
a criticism in this phrase? I am specifically wondering if this
is one of those nasty ethnic slurs that is left over from a time
when such things were more commonly spoken, or if some other interpretation
might apply. Any ideas or information? Please send an e-mail. Thanks. POT CALLING THE KETTLE BLACK - The "Morris Dictionary of Word and
Phrase Origins" by William and Mary Morris has more detail about
this phrase than other reference books. (Note: iron pots and kettles
are already black, even when new.) Judge for yourself whether the
phrase has racial connotations. I guess that issue hinges on whether
the color black being associated with "evil" has a connection to
racial prejudice towards dark-skinned people: "There are two slightly varying interpretations of this phrase,
which is used figuratively to apply to persons. One theory is that
such action is ridiculous because they are both black, presumably
from standing for years on a wood-burning stove or in a fireplace.
So the pot as well as the kettle is black (evil) and neither one
is better than the other. This supports the explanation of the phrase
as given in 'Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable': 'Said of
one accusing another of faults similar to those committed by himself.' The other theory is that the pot was black but the kettle polished
copper and the pot, seeing its own blackness reflected in the shiny
surface of the kettle, maintained that the kettle, not it, was actually
black. In any event, it seems that the best, if slangy, retort by
the kettle may have been: 'Look who's talking!' Usually the source of the phrase is given as Cervantes' 'Don Quixote'
and simply as 'The pot calls the kettle black,' but another version
of Don Quixote comes out as: 'Said the pot to the kettle, get away
black-face!' Henry Fielding, eighteenth century writer, reverses
the roles in 'Covent Garden Tragedy': 'Dares thus the kettle to
rebuke our sin!/Dares thus the kettle say the pot is black!' Even
Shakespeare used the idea in 'Troilus and Cressida': 'The raven
chides blackness.'"
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