coals to Newcastle

English

Wikipedia

Alternative forms

• carry coals to Newcastle

Etymology

Newcastle upon Tyne (in Britain) was a major coal exporting city, so sending coal there would be pointless.

Noun

coals to Newcastle

1. (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

Translations

a pointless venture

• Czech: nosit dříví do lesa (cs), literally "bring wood into the forest"
• Georgian: ზღვას ქვიშას უმატებენო (ka) (zḡvas k’višas umatebeno)
• German: Eulen nach Athen tragen (de)

• Icelandic: (carry water to an overflowing stream) bera í bakkafullan lækinn (is)
• Latin: in silvam ligna ferre (la) (carry wood into the forest)
• Russian: в Тулу со своим самоваром (ru) (v Túlu so svoím samovárom)

See also

• owls to Athens