coals to Newcastle, to carry/bring
bring coals to Newcastle
To do something redundant, frivolous, or unnecessary. Newcastle was once a major coal supplier. We definitely don't need to bring any toys when we go over their house—they have so many that bringing more would be like bringing coals to Newcastle. I thought a bottle of wine would be a nice gift, but when I saw their liquor cabinet I could tell that I had brought coals to Newcastle.
carry coals to Newcastle
To do something redundant, frivolous, or unnecessary. Newcastle was once a major coal supplier. We definitely don't need to bring any toys when we go over their house—they have so many that bringing more would be like carrying coals to Newcastle. I thought a bottle of wine would be a nice gift, but when I saw their liquor cabinet I could tell that I had carried coals to Newcastle.
coals to Newcastle
Needless or superfluous action. (Newcastle was long the epicenter of coal mining in England.) Typically used in the phrases "carry coals to Newcastle" and "take coals to Newcastle." Why did you bring DVDs with you when I have a home theater? That's like carrying coals to Newcastle. I thought a bottle of wine would be a nice gift, but when I saw their liquor cabinet I could tell that I had taken coals to Newcastle.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
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.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
carry coals to Newcastle
Do or bring something superfluous or unnecessary, as in Running the sprinkler while it's raining, that's carrying coals to Newcastle. This metaphor was already well known in the mid-1500s, when Newcastle-upon-Tyne had been a major coal-mining center for 400 years. It is heard less often today but is not yet obsolete.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
coals to Newcastle
something brought or sent to a place where it is already plentiful.Coal from Newcastle-upon-Tyne in northern England was famously abundant in previous centuries, and carry coals to Newcastle has been an expression for an unnecessary activity since the mid 17th century.
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
(carry/take) coals to ˈNewcastle
(British English) (supply) something that there is already a lot of: Exporting wine to France would be like taking coals to Newcastle.Newcastle-upon-Tyne, in the north of England, was once an important coal-mining centre.
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
coals to Newcastle, to carry/bring
To do something that is unnecessary or superfluous. The Newcastle referred to is the city of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, a seaport in northeastern England that was given a charter to mine coal by Henry III in 1239 and became a major coal center. By the seventeenth century this metaphor for bringing an unneeded thing was current, and it remained so in all English-speaking countries. There were (and are) equivalents in numerous languages. In French it is to carry water to a river.
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer
coals to Newcastle
Any unnecessary activity. Before the days of railroading, goods and commodities were transported by water. Coal in particular was shipped to port city of Newcastle before being distributed to the rest of England. Therefore, unless you were the captain of a ship laden with coal, carrying that kind of fossil fuel to Newcastle was a waste of your time and energy.
Endangered Phrases by Steven D. Price Copyright © 2011 by Steven D. Price