Meanings
- idiomaticpluralplural onlyA pointless venture, in the sense of sending something to a place where it is made, or where they already have an abundance.
No more coals to Newcastle, no more Hoares to Paris.
1935, attributed to King George V of the United Kingdom but possibly a then-circulating joke (see notes at Wikiquote)1 more example
Honestly, sir. Your wife? Assertion training? Coals to Newcastle, surely.
1998 May 6, Douglas Watkinson et al., “Death in Disguise”, in Midsomer MurdersSynonyms: owls to Athens
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA pointless venture, in the sense of sending something to a place where it is made, or where they already have an abundance.
Origin
From the importance of Newcastle upon Tyne to the English coal industry.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
coals to Newcastle. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/coals%20to%20Newcastle
“coals to Newcastle.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/coals%20to%20Newcastle. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “coals to Newcastle,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/coals%20to%20Newcastle.
Source: coals to Newcastle on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.