he who smelt it dealt it

English

Alternative forms

Proverb

he who smelt it dealt it

  1. (colloquial, originally) A person who calls attention to or complains about a flatus is likely trying to pretend it wasn't their own.
  2. (colloquial, by extension) A person calling attention to or complaining about a given problem may in fact be the source of the problem.

Usage notes

  • Non-rhyming variants with smelled rather than smelt are almost completely unattested, even in forms of English that otherwise prefer smelled.

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See also