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Idioms and proverbs

Ulta Chor Kotwal Ko Daante: The Guilty Scolding the Innocent

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Photo: 0121921 Neelkanth temple, Kalinjar Fort, Uttar Pradesh 355 by Ms Sarah Welch (CC0), via Openverse

उल्टा चोर कोतवाल को डांटे (ulta chor kotwal ko daante) means the thief scolding the police chief instead of the other way around, a proverb about a guilty party turning the tables and accusing the very person who caught them. The saying captures a familiar.

Slightly absurd pattern where someone at fault deflects blame so boldly that they end up criticising the person who was right all along, reversing the situation entirely. Learners can use this idiom to describe brazen blame shifting in everyday conversation. It carries a sharp, satirical edge, best used with a light touch rather than genuine anger.

A useful related expression is apni galti doosre par daalna, putting one's own mistake onto someone else, a more direct phrase covering similar ground without the proverb's vivid thief and police chief imagery. Learning both versions gives a learner flexibility between plain description and sharper, more memorable critique. It is often used with a raised eyebrow rather than real anger, since naming the pattern aloud usually makes the unfairness obvious to everyone listening.

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