IdiomNature
Russian
Russianв лес дрова возить (v les drova vozit')
Meaning: to do something pointless or redundant; to offer something to someone who already has plenty of it.
Literally: To bring firewood to the forest
Example: “Дарить булочнику хлеб — это в лес дрова возить.” — Giving bread to a baker is carrying coals to Newcastle.
English equivalent: To carry coals to Newcastle
Other ways to say this
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
English: carry coals to Newcastle
Origin: A forest is already full of wood, so carrying firewood into it is pointless. Russian has several sayings for the same useless effort, such as в Тулу со своим самоваром (to take your own samovar to Tula), and English has "carry coals to Newcastle." No particular story lies behind it.
More Russian idioms
- сражаться с ветряными мельницами (srazhat'sya s vetryanymi mel'nitsami) To struggle against imaginary or futile enemies; to waste effort on impossible causes.
- ходить вокруг да около (khodit' vokrug da okolo) To avoid speaking plainly; to approach a subject indirectly or evasively.
- гнать в три шеи (gnat' v tri shei) To expel or drive someone away forcefully and without ceremony.
- полтора землекопа (poltora zemlyekopa) A ridiculously small number of people; a handful.
- язык проглотил (yazyk proglotil) To be unable or unwilling to speak; to remain silent when words are called for.
- метать бисер перед свиньями (metat' biser pered svin'yami) To offer something precious or refined to someone incapable of appreciating it.
Explore another collection: Proverbs
Short sayings of timeless wisdom from more than 50 cultures, each with its meaning and origin.
- Семь раз отмерь, один раз отрежь (Sem' raz otmer', odin raz otrezh') Think carefully before acting, because some actions can't be undone.
- В тихом омуте черти водятся (V tikhom omute cherti vodyatsya) Quiet people can hide surprising, even wild, natures.
- В чужой монастырь со своим уставом не ходят (V chuzhoy monastyr' so svoim ustavom ne khodyat) Follow the rules of the place you are in.
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