he who smelt it dealt it

English

Alternative forms

• ‎whoever smelt it, dealt it‎

Proverb

he who smelt it, dealt it

1. (colloquial, originally) A person who calls attention to or complains about a fart is likely trying to pretend it wasn't his or her own.
2. (colloquial, by extension) Used to suggest that 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.

See also

• ‎protest too much‎