coal (redirected from hauled over the coals)

*black as a skillet and *black as a stack of black cats; *black as a sweep; *black as coal; *black as night; *black as pitch; *black as the ace of spades

completely dark or black. (*Also: as ~.) I don't want to go down to the cellar. It's as black as a skillet down there. Her hair was black as a stack of black cats. After playing in the mud all morning, the children were as black as night. The stranger's clothes were all black as pitch.

See also: black, skillet

carry coals to Newcastle

Prov. to do something unnecessary; to do something that is redundant or duplicative. (Newcastle is an English town from which coal was shipped to other parts of England.) Mr. Smith is so rich he doesn't need any more money. To give him a gift certificate is like carrying coals to Newcastle.

See also: carry

rake someone over the coals and haul someone over the coals

Fig. to give someone a severe scolding. My mother hauled me over the coals for coming in late last night. The manager raked me over the coals for being late again.

See also: rake

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carry/take coals to Newcastle  (British)

to take something to a place or a person that has a lot of that thing already

Usage notes: Newcastle is a town in Northern England which is in an area where a lot of coal was produced.

Exporting pine to Scandinavia is a bit like carrying coals to Newcastle.

See also: carry

drag/haul somebody over the coals

to speak angrily to someone because they have done something wrong If I make a spelling mistake, I get hauled over the coals by my boss. (often + for ) They dragged her over the coals for being late with her assignment.

See rake over the coals

See also: drag

rake over the coals

to talk about unpleasant things from the past that other people would prefer not to talk about (usually in continuous tenses) There's no point in raking over the coals - all that happened twenty years ago, and there's nothing we can do about it now.

See also: rake