be raking over the coals
To be dwelling on something unpleasant. Primarily heard in UK. Yeah, you made a mistake, but it's one we can easily fix, so stop raking over the coals. I know we can't afford a new car right now, and I just have to accept that and stop raking over the coals. If you're always raking over the coals after someone hits a home run off of you, you'll never make it as Major League pitcher. You've gotta let that stuff go, man.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
be raking over the coals
or be raking over the ashes
mainly BRITISHIf someone is raking over the coals or is raking over the ashes, they are talking about something that happened in the past which you think should now be forgotten. Yes, we made mistakes in the past, but let us not waste time raking over the coals when there is hard work to be done. Why must we keep raking over the ashes, causing distress to so many people?
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012