sell coal to Newcastle

A form of carry coals to Newcastle — To do something that is unneeded or redundant.

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Meanings

verbsell coal to Newcastle (third-person singular simple present sells coal to Newcastle, present participle selling coal to Newcastle, simple past and past participle sold coal to Newcastle)

present singular third person sells coal to Newcastle · participle present selling coal to Newcastle · participle past sold coal to Newcastle · past sold coal to Newcastle

  1. alternativeAlternative form of carry coals to Newcastle.

    Who'd try to sell a new video game system now, in 1985? This wasn't selling coal to Newcastle, it was selling smog to Los Angeles.

    2011, Jeff Ryan, Super Mario: How Nintendo Conquered America, Penguin, →ISBN

Origin

First recorded in 1538.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

sell coal to Newcastle. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sell%20coal%20to%20Newcastle

MLA

“sell coal to Newcastle.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sell%20coal%20to%20Newcastle. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sell coal to Newcastle,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sell%20coal%20to%20Newcastle.

Source: sell coal to Newcastle on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.