coals to Newcastle
English
Alternative forms
Etymology
Newcastle upon Tyne (in Britain) was a major coal-exporting city, so sending coal there would be pointless.
Pronunciation
Audio (AU) (file)
Noun
coals to Newcastle pl (plural only)
- (idiomatic) A pointless venture, in the sense of sending something to a place where it's made, or where they already have an abundance.
- 1935, attributed to King George V of the United Kingdom (but possibly a then-circulating joke; see wikiquote):
- No more coals to Newcastle, no more Hoares to Paris.
- Synonym: owls to Athens
- 1935, attributed to King George V of the United Kingdom (but possibly a then-circulating joke; see wikiquote):
Further reading
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