English
wikipedia|Selling coal to Newcastle

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.

Phrase
infl|en|phrase|head=coals to Newcastle

1. idiom A pointless venture, in the sense of sending something to a place where it's made, or where they already have an abundance.

#: 1935: No more coals to Newcastle, no more Hoares to Paris — attributed to w:George V of the United Kingdom|King George V of the United Kingdom, but possibly a joke doing the rounds at the time (see q:George V of the United Kingdom|wikiquote)

Translations
trans-top|a pointless venture
trans-mid
Latin: t|la|in silvam ligna ferre (carry wood into the forest)
Russian: t|ru|в Т�л� �о �воим �амова�ом
trans-bottom

See also
owls to Athens

• 2007-11-28 19:40 - Williamsayers79 - use {{t}}

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