mote in the eye

mote in the eye

A minor flaw or indiscretion. No, your sister isn't perfect, but at least she's never been arrested—her shortcomings are just a mote in the eye compared to your own!See also: eye, mote

a mote in someone's eye

a trivial fault in someone which is less serious than one in someone else who is being critical. A mote is a tiny speck of dust or a similar substance. The phrase comes from Matthew 7:3–5: ‘Why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?’: the implication is that someone is ignoring a glaring fault of their own while criticizing a smaller one in someone else.See also: eye, mote