Expression française : c’est l’hôpital qui se moque

What does “c’est l’hôpital qui se moque de la charité” mean in English?

This French idiom calls out hypocrisy: you criticise someone for a flaw you share yourself, the way the pot mocks the kettle for being black. The joke hides in plain sight — “hôpital” and “charité” once named the very same thing, a charitable hospital, so the phrase literally pits two synonyms against each other. Saying one mocks the other is absurd, which is exactly the point when both parties are equally guilty.

Use it when the criticism is rich. Tell me off for eating all the crisps? “C’est l’hôpital qui se moque de la charité — you finished my yoghurts.” A bluntly familiar version swaps in a vulgar verb: “c’est l’hôpital qui se fout de la charité,” handy among friends but rougher in tone, while “se moque” fits any setting. The origin is debated: it’s often explained as a dig born of the historic rivalry between two neighbouring Lyon institutions, the Hôtel-Dieu (nicknamed “l’Hôpital”) and the hospice de la Charité, which competed for donations and prestige — though sources don’t agree on the details or dates.