Meaning & use
throwing stones glass house
Last updated
Meaning
phraseidiomfigurative
A shortened way of saying that people should not criticize others for faults they also have.
Grammar: Used as a fixed phrase or hint at the full proverb; it does not take an object.
Patterns
- throwing stones in a glass house
- people in glass houses
You're throwing stones in a glass house if you complain about his lateness when you're always late too.
She told him that throwing stones glass house was not a good look, since he had the same bad habit.
Before you criticize her cooking, remember: throwing stones in a glass house never ends well.
Common combinations
- throwing stones in a glass house
- Criticizing his messy desk is throwing stones in a glass house, since yours is worse.
- people in glass houses
- People in glass houses shouldn't complain about their neighbors' noise.
- glass house
- The phrase 'glass house' here means a situation where you are just as vulnerable to criticism.
- throw stones
- It's easy to throw stones, but harder to fix your own problems.
Synonyms and how they differ
- pot calling the kettle black
- This is a more common, slightly more informal idiom with the same idea of accusing someone of your own fault.
- the mote in your brother's eye
- A biblical phrase with a similar warning, but it is more formal and less familiar to most speakers.
Commonly confused: throwing stones glass house or glass ceiling?
throwing stones glass house vs glass ceiling
'Glass ceiling' refers to an invisible barrier to promotion, not to criticism or hypocrisy.
Practice
What does the phrase 'throwing stones in a glass house' warn against?
Choose one answer.
The idiom warns against hypocrisy: if you have the same fault, you shouldn't criticize someone else for it. The literal reading (options 0, 2, 3) misses the figurative meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “throwing stones glass house”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.