в 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.

Language: Russian

Literally: to bring firewood to the forest

Category: Nature

Origin: The image is absurd — a forest is already full of wood, so bringing more is useless; parallel to English 'carrying coals to Newcastle.'

More idioms — Nature

Avoir le vent en poupe — To be doing very well; everything is going your way.
Avoir la tête dans les nuages — To be a daydreamer; out of touch with reality.
Jeter de l'huile sur le feu — To make a bad situation worse.
faire la pluie et le beau temps — Having complete control over a situation or someone's fate.
être une girouette — Being inconsistent, constantly changing opinions or allegiances.
estar más claro que el agua — Something is obvious, evident, and beyond any doubt or confusion.

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) — An absurdly small group; a nonsensical quantity that defies rational measure.
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.

Loading the full interactive collection…