haul someone over the coals
Meaning: To scold or reprimand someone severely for wrongdoing.
Language: English
Literally: (Already vivid in English)
Category: Daily Life
Origin: The phrase pictures someone being dragged across burning coals as punishment—a vivid image of painful consequences.
More idioms — Daily Life
- tilt at windmills — To waste effort fighting against imaginary enemies or pursuing hopeless causes.
- welcome to my world — You are now experiencing something unpleasant that the speaker knows well and has dealt w…
- built different — Uniquely talented or operating by a different standard than ordinary people.
- green fingers — A natural talent for growing plants successfully.
- on blast — Being publicly shamed or criticized, especially on social media.
- train wreck — A spectacular, inevitable disaster that is witnessed by many people.
More English idioms
- make a fist of — To accomplish something with reasonable competence or success.
- one is a poet and doesn't know it — Someone has unintentionally created a rhyme or spoken in verse without realizing it.
- hash slinger — A cook or server in a cheap restaurant, often regarded as rude or inattentive.
- turn up the heat — To make a situation more intense, uncomfortable, or urgent.
- chase a rainbow — To pursue something that is impossible or unrealistic to attain.
- rock the boat — To disrupt the status quo or challenge established conventions and rules.
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