Meanings
present singular third person carries coals to Newcastle · participle present carrying coals to Newcastle · participle past carried coals to Newcastle · past carried coals to Newcastle · alternative bring coals to Newcastle · alternative sell coal to Newcastle · alternative sell coals to Newcastle · alternative take coals to Newcastle
- idiomaticTo do something that is unneeded or redundant.
He's the fellow who likes to let off stink bombs in night clubs, which rather falls under the head of carrying coals to Newcastle […]
1960, P. G. Wodehouse, chapter II, in Jeeves in the Offing1 more example
However curious it may seem for an oil-ship to be borrowing oil on the whale-ground, and however much it may invertedly contradict the old proverb about carrying coals to Newcastle, yet sometimes such a thing really happens; and in the present case Captain Derick De Deer did indubitably conduct a lamp-feeder as Flask did declare.
1851, Herman Melville, chapter 81, in Moby-DickSynonyms: bring owls to Athens, bring sand to the beach, sell ice to Eskimos
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo do something that is unneeded or redundant.
Origin
Newcastle upon Tyne (in England) was a major coal-exporting city, so sending coal there would be pointless.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek γλαῦκ’ εἰς Ἀθήνας
- γλαῦκ’ εἰς Ἀθήνας (glaûk’ eis Athḗnas)do something unneeded or redundant
Catalan portar aigua al mar
- portar aigua al mardo something unneeded or redundant
Chinese Mandarin 多此一舉 /多此一举, 脫褲子放屁 /脱裤子放屁
- 多此一舉 /多此一举 (duōcǐyījǔ)do something unneeded or redundant
- 脫褲子放屁 /脱裤子放屁 (tuō khùzi fàngpì)do something unneeded or redundant
Czech nosit dříví do lesa, nosit sovy do Atén
- nosit dříví do lesado something unneeded or redundant
- nosit sovy do Aténdo something unneeded or redundant
Danish give bagerbørn hvedebrød
- give bagerbørn hvedebrøddo something unneeded or redundant
Dutch uilen naar Athene dragen, water naar de zee dragen
- uilen naar Athene dragendo something unneeded or redundant
- water naar de zee dragendo something unneeded or redundant
Esperanto porti akvon al rivero, porti strigojn al Ateno
- porti akvon al riverodo something unneeded or redundant
- porti strigojn al Atenodo something unneeded or redundant
Estonian kilplasetööd tegema
- kilplasetööd tegemado something unneeded or redundant
Finnish kantaa vettä kaivoon
- kantaa vettä kaivoondo something unneeded or redundant
French porter de l'eau à la rivière
- porter de l'eau à la rivièredo something unneeded or redundant
German Eulen nach Athen tragen, Holz in den Wald tragen
- Eulen nach Athen tragendo something unneeded or redundant
- Holz in den Wald tragendo something unneeded or redundant
- Wasser ins Meer tragendo something unneeded or redundant
Hungarian vizet hord a Dunába
- vizet hord a Dunábado something unneeded or redundant
Icelandic bera í bakkafullan lækinn
- bera í bakkafullan lækinndo something unneeded or redundant
Irish beir liúdar go Toraigh, cuimil saille ar thóin na muice méithe
- beir liúdar go Toraighdo something unneeded or redundant
- cuimil saille ar thóin na muice méithedo something unneeded or redundant
Italian portare nottole ad Atene, portare civette ad Atene
- portare nottole ad Atenedo something unneeded or redundant
- portare civette ad Atenedo something unneeded or redundant
- portare vasi a Samodo something unneeded or redundant
Japanese 無駄骨を折る
- 無駄骨を折る (mudabone wo oru)do something unneeded or redundant
Latin in silvam ligna ferō
- in silvam ligna ferōdo something unneeded or redundant
Norwegian Bokmål gi bakerens barn brød, gå over bekken etter vann
- gi bakerens barn brøddo something unneeded or redundant
- gå over bekken etter vanndo something unneeded or redundant
Polish wozić drewno do lasu
- wozić drewno do lasudo something unneeded or redundant
Portuguese levar água ao mar, chover no molhado
- levar água ao mardo something unneeded or redundant
- chover no molhadodo something unneeded or redundant
Scottish Gaelic thoir fiodhrach do Loch Abar, thoir eich a dh'Innse Gall
- thoir fiodhrach do Loch Abardo something unneeded or redundant
- thoir eich a dh'Innse Galldo something unneeded or redundant
Slovak voziť drevo do hory, nosiť sovy do Atén
- voziť drevo do horydo something unneeded or redundant
- nosiť sovy do Aténdo something unneeded or redundant
Spanish llevar leña al monte, llevar hierro a Vizcaya
- llevar leña al montedo something unneeded or redundant
- llevar hierro a Vizcayado something unneeded or redundant
Swedish bära ugglor till Aten
- bära ugglor till Atendo something unneeded or redundant
Turkish denize su götürmek
- denize su götürmekdo something unneeded or redundant
Vietnamese chở củi về rừng, dã tràng xe cát biển Đông
- chở củi về rừngdo something unneeded or redundant
- dã tràng xe cát biển Đôngdo something unneeded or redundant
- dã tràng xe cátdo something unneeded or redundant
Welsh cario glo i Fflint
- cario glo i Fflintdo something unneeded or redundant
Cite this entry
carry coals to Newcastle. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/carry%20coals%20to%20Newcastle
“carry coals to Newcastle.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/carry%20coals%20to%20Newcastle. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “carry coals to Newcastle,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/carry%20coals%20to%20Newcastle.
Source: carry coals to Newcastle on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.