takes one to know one
Shared flaw acknowledgment
Takes one to know one is a retort suggesting that someone can only recognize a fault because they share it.
If you call someone a liar and they respond takes one to know one, they're accusing you of lying too.
The phrase implies insider knowledge—you spot the trait because you possess it yourself.
Often used defensively or as playground comeback.
- pot calling the kettle blackCriticizing faults you share
- mirroringReproducing an image identically
- cut from the same clothFundamentally alike in nature
- empathySharing another's emotions
- projectionSomething that extends outward
two peas in a pod · same boat · sarcasm · irony · similarity · recognition · defense mechanism · banter · jesting · verbal sparring · identification · assumption · finger-pointing · guilty conscience · hit a nerve · transference · repartee · attribution
takes one to know onemea culpa
Acknowledgment of personal blame
guilty as charged · I stand corrected · I admit it · point taken · I apologize
takes, taken, taking, takers, known, knowing, knower, knowers, knowledge