Cast the first stone
Suggest a CorrectionMeaning
Be the first to accuse, condemn, or punish someone, especially when no accuser is blameless. Usually invokes hypocrisy or shared fallibility, not literal punishment. Regional use: Late Middle English biblical translation; now widespread.
Origin
In John 8:7, Jesus challenges the sinless person among a group of accusers to be first to cast a stone at the accused woman. The Wycliffe Bible has substantially that English wording in the late fourteenth century. The modern idiom normally omits the condition about being without sin, but that condition supplies its moral force: a would-be judge should examine personal fault before condemning another.
Research Sources
Variants
- Let the one without sin cast the first stone
Usage Examples
- None of us met every deadline, so who will cast the first stone?
- She refused to cast the first stone over an error she had once made herself.
- Before you cast the first stone, check your own expense claims.