Meanings
alternative I am rubber, you are glue · alternative I'm rubber and you're glue
- childishCountering an attack on one's character.
And in the 2016 campaign, Mr. Trump applied the “I’m rubber, you’re glue” approach to a wide range of vulnerabilities.
2024 January 10, Jonathan Swan, Maggie Haberman, “One of Trump’s Oldest Tactics in Business and Politics: I’m Rubber. You’re Glue.”, in The New York Times2 more examples
“You’re nothing but a — a cheat,” Florence said. “I’m rubber, you’re glue, everything you say sticks right back to you,” John said calmly, complete master with all the answers.
1948, Daniel Curley, “A Deal in Cards”, in The Atlantic Magazine, volume 181, Atlantic Monthly Co., page 61Few anticommunist accusations are more trite than that Marxism is a religion, the Manifesto a religious tract and Marx himself[…] a ‘religious eschatologist’. At a banal level, to many of the accusers can be said in retort: I am rubber, you are glue.
2022, China Miéville, chapter 6, in A Spectre, Haunting: On the Communist Manifesto, →OCLC
Origin
An anapodoton from a longer phrase, "I'm rubber, you're glue; whatever you say bounces off me and sticks to you".
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Danish det man siger er man selv
- det man siger er man selvI'm rubber, you're glue
Dutch wat je zegt ben je zelf
- wat je zegt ben je zelfI'm rubber, you're glue
Finnish se, joka haukkuu, on itse
- se, joka haukkuu, on itseI'm rubber, you're glue
German was du sagst, bist du selbst, wenn du deine Klappe hältst
- was du sagst, bist du selbst, wenn du deine Klappe hältstI'm rubber, you're glue
Hebrew הַכֹּל חוֹזֵר אֵלֶיךָ וְקָקָה בְּיָדֶיךָ
- הַכֹּל חוֹזֵר אֵלֶיךָ וְקָקָה בְּיָדֶיךָ (hakól khozér elékha v'káka b'yadékha)I'm rubber, you're glue
Hungarian aki mondja másra, az mondja magára
- aki mondja másra, az mondja magáraI'm rubber, you're glue
Italian Specchio riflesso se ti muovi sei un cesso
- Specchio riflesso se ti muovi sei un cessoI'm rubber, you're glue
Polish kto przezywa, sam się tak nazywa
- kto przezywa, sam się tak nazywaI'm rubber, you're glue
Romanian cine zice, ăla este
- cine zice, ăla esteI'm rubber, you're glue
Russian кто пе́рвый обзыва́ется, тот так и называ́ется
- кто пе́рвый обзыва́ется, тот так и называ́ется (kto pérvyj obzyvájetsja, tot tak i nazyvájetsja)I'm rubber, you're glue
Spanish rebota, rebota y en tu culo explota
- rebota, rebota y en tu culo explotaI'm rubber, you're glue
Swedish den som sa det, var det
- den som sa det, var detI'm rubber, you're glue
Cite this entry
I'm rubber, you're glue. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/I'm%20rubber%2C%20you're%20glue
“I'm rubber, you're glue.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/I'm%20rubber%2C%20you're%20glue. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “I'm rubber, you're glue,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/I'm%20rubber%2C%20you're%20glue.
Source: I'm rubber, you're glue on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.