it takes one to know oneとは 意味・読み方・使い方

発音

ことわざ

it takes one to know one

1. (idiomatic) Expressing the same underlying character-judgment themes as pot calling the kettle black or set a thief to catch a thief.

   They hired the most devious scammers they could find and paid them quite well to do some red-team work, because it takes one to know one.

2. (colloquial, childish) A retort to a negative accusation, implying that the accuser shares the fault.

   Bob: You're an idiot!

   Tony: Takes one to know one!

   • 1949, Nial Kent, The Divided Path, page 358:

     There's an unkind saying that it takes one to know one, and it's almost true.

   • 1947, Poet Lore, page 280:

     Anyone who appreciates Shakespeare as this author unquestionably does is another Shakespeare — it takes one to know one!

   • 1946, Gore Vidal, Williwaw, page 45:

     “I’ve got a bad egg,” said Bervick. “I guess this was a pre-war egg.” […]
     “It takes one to know one,” said the Chief, referring back to the eggs.

   • 1980, Gerald Ford, “Problems Multiply”, in A Time to Heal‎, New York: Berkley Books, →ISBN, →OCLC, →OL, page 209:

     Brezhnev pretended a scowl. "Kissinger is such a scoundrel," he said.
     But Henry was ready for that. "It takes one to know one," he replied.

   • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:it takes one to know one.

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