carry coals to Newcastle
Meaning: To do something completely unnecessary.
Language: English
Literally: (Already vivid in English)
Example: “Taking wine to a vineyard is carrying coals to Newcastle.”
Category: Daily Life
Origin: Newcastle upon Tyne was the center of the English coal trade, so bringing coal there was pointless. The phrase is recorded from the 17th century.
Equivalents in other languages
- German: Eulen nach Athen tragen — literally: To carry owls to Athens
- Russian: в Тулу со своим самоваром (v Tulu so svoim samovarom) — literally: to Tula with one's own samovar
- Russian: в лес дрова возить (v les drova vozit') — literally: to bring firewood to the forest
More idioms — Daily Life
- hunky-dory — Perfectly fine.
- the morning after the night before — A hangover, and the regret that comes with it.
- behind the scenes — Out of public view, where the real work or decisions happen.
- kick up a fuss — To complain loudly and cause a commotion.
- cry at the drop of a hat — To burst into tears very easily.
- been there, done that — Said of an experience one already knows well, often with a shrug.
More English idioms
- be over the moon — Absolutely delighted.
- rub salt in the wound — To make someone's pain or humiliation worse.
- tread on someone's toes — To offend someone, especially by interfering in what they see as their business.
- get under someone's feet — To be in the way while someone is trying to work.
- think outside the box — To find an unconventional solution.
- not get off the ground — To fail to make any progress at all.
From our proverbs
- Good words fill not a sack. — Eloquent speech alone cannot sustain you; you need material provisions and practical acti…
- Many words will not fill a bushel. — Excessive talk produces nothing tangible; abundance of speech cannot substitute for concr…
- Soft words hurt not the mouth. — Gentle speech costs nothing to speak and risks no harm through careless words.