| Idiom | Carry Coals to Newcastle |
|---|---|
| Example | Taking flowers to the florist's daughter is like carrying coals to Newcastle. |
| Meaning | to do something unnecessary; to bring something to a place where it is already plentiful |
| Origin | There are many coal mines in the English city of Newcastle. Coal is shipped out from this port to other places. Newcastle definitely doesn't need extra coal, so if you carry coals there, you are doing something totally unnecessary. Today the meaning of this expression includes similar situations like taking snowballs to people living near the North Pole. |
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