"carry coals to Newcastle" meaning in English

See carry coals to Newcastle in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Verb

Audio: en-au-carry coals to Newcastle.ogg [Australia] Forms: carries coals to Newcastle [present, singular, third-person], carrying coals to Newcastle [participle, present], carried coals to Newcastle [participle, past], carried coals to Newcastle [past]
Etymology: Newcastle upon Tyne (in England) was a major coal-exporting city, so sending coal there would be pointless. Etymology templates: {{l|en|Newcastle upon Tyne}} Newcastle upon Tyne, {{l|en|coal}} coal Head templates: {{en-verb|carry<> coals to Newcastle}} carry coals to Newcastle (third-person singular simple present carries coals to Newcastle, present participle carrying coals to Newcastle, simple past and past participle carried coals to Newcastle)
  1. (idiomatic) To do something that is unneeded or redundant. Wikipedia link: coals to Newcastle Tags: idiomatic Synonyms: bring owls to Athens, bring coals to Newcastle, take coals to Newcastle Related terms: busman's holiday Coordinate_terms: sell ice to Eskimos, bring sand to the beach Translations (do something unneeded or redundant): γλαῦκ' εἰς Ἀθήνας (glaûk' eis Athḗnas) (Ancient Greek), portar aigua al mar (Catalan), 無枷夯交椅 [Hokkien] (Chinese), 多此一舉 (Chinese Mandarin), 多此一举 (duōcǐyījǔ) (Chinese Mandarin), 脫褲子放屁 (Chinese Mandarin), 脱裤子放屁 (tuō khùzi fàngpì) (Chinese Mandarin), nosit dříví do lesa (Czech), nosit sovy do Atén (Czech), give bagerbørn hvedebrød (Danish), uilen naar Athene dragen (Dutch), water naar de zee dragen (Dutch), porti akvon al rivero (Esperanto), porti strigojn al Ateno (Esperanto), kilplasetööd tegema (Estonian), kantaa vettä kaivoon (Finnish), porter de l’eau à la rivière (French), Eulen nach Athen tragen (German), Holz in den Wald tragen (German), Wasser ins Meer tragen (German), vizet hord a Dunába (Hungarian), bera í bakkafullan lækinn (Icelandic), ag tabhairt liúdar go Toraigh (Irish), ag cuimilt saille de thóin na muice méithe (Irish), portare nottole ad Atene (Italian), portare civette ad Atene (Italian), portare vasi a Samo (Italian), 無駄骨を折る (mudabone wo oru) (alt: むだぼねをおる) (Japanese), in silvam ligna ferō (Latin), gi bakerens barn brød (Norwegian Bokmål), gå over bekken etter vann (Norwegian Bokmål), gje brød til bakaren sine born (Norwegian Nynorsk), wozić drewno do lasu (Polish), levar água ao mar (Portuguese), chover no molhado (Portuguese), thoir fiodhrach do Loch Abar (Scottish Gaelic), thoir eich a dh'Innse Gall (Scottish Gaelic), voziť drevo do hory (Slovak), nosiť sovy do Atén (Slovak), zlivati vodo v morje (Slovene), llevar leña al monte (Spanish), llevar hierro a Vizcaya (Spanish), bära ugglor till Aten (Swedish), denize su götürmek (Turkish), cario glo i Fflint (Welsh)

Inflected forms

Alternative forms

Download JSON data for carry coals to Newcastle meaning in English (11.7kB)

{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "Newcastle upon Tyne"
      },
      "expansion": "Newcastle upon Tyne",
      "name": "l"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "coal"
      },
      "expansion": "coal",
      "name": "l"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Newcastle upon Tyne (in England) was a major coal-exporting city, so sending coal there would be pointless.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "carries coals to Newcastle",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "carrying coals to Newcastle",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "carried coals to Newcastle",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "carried coals to Newcastle",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "carry<> coals to Newcastle"
      },
      "expansion": "carry coals to Newcastle (third-person singular simple present carries coals to Newcastle, present participle carrying coals to Newcastle, simple past and past participle carried coals to Newcastle)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English predicates",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Mandarin terms with non-redundant manual transliterations",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with non-redundant manual transliterations",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Mandarin terms with redundant transliterations",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with redundant transliterations",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Yiddish terms with non-redundant manual transliterations",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with non-redundant manual transliterations",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "coordinate_terms": [
        {
          "word": "sell ice to Eskimos"
        },
        {
          "word": "bring sand to the beach"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1851, Herman Melville, chapter 81, in Moby-Dick",
          "text": "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.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1960, P. G. Wodehouse, chapter II, in Jeeves in the Offing",
          "text": "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 […]",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To do something that is unneeded or redundant."
      ],
      "id": "en-carry_coals_to_Newcastle-en-verb-gePw4nBX",
      "links": [
        [
          "unneeded",
          "unneeded"
        ],
        [
          "redundant",
          "redundant"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) To do something that is unneeded or redundant."
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "busman's holiday"
        }
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "bring owls to Athens"
        },
        {
          "word": "bring coals to Newcastle"
        },
        {
          "word": "take coals to Newcastle"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "ar",
          "lang": "Arabic",
          "note": "اِسْتَبْضِعَ التَّمْرَ إِلَى هَجَر (istabḍiʕa t-tamra ʔilā hajar, literally “carry dates to Hajar”)",
          "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant"
        },
        {
          "code": "ca",
          "lang": "Catalan",
          "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
          "word": "portar aigua al mar"
        },
        {
          "code": "nan-hbl",
          "lang": "Chinese",
          "note": "夯枷 (zh-min-nan) (giâ-kê, literally “carry the shackle”)",
          "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
          "tags": [
            "Hokkien"
          ]
        },
        {
          "code": "nan-hbl",
          "lang": "Chinese",
          "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
          "tags": [
            "Hokkien"
          ],
          "word": "無枷夯交椅"
        },
        {
          "code": "nan-hbl",
          "lang": "Chinese",
          "note": "无枷夯交椅 (bô kê giâ kau-í, literally “carry the armchair if there's no shackle”)",
          "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
          "tags": [
            "Hokkien"
          ]
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
          "word": "多此一舉"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "duōcǐyījǔ",
          "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
          "word": "多此一举"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
          "word": "脫褲子放屁"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "tuō khùzi fàngpì",
          "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
          "word": "脱裤子放屁"
        },
        {
          "code": "cs",
          "lang": "Czech",
          "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
          "word": "nosit dříví do lesa"
        },
        {
          "code": "cs",
          "lang": "Czech",
          "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
          "word": "nosit sovy do Atén"
        },
        {
          "code": "da",
          "lang": "Danish",
          "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
          "word": "give bagerbørn hvedebrød"
        },
        {
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
          "word": "uilen naar Athene dragen"
        },
        {
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
          "word": "water naar de zee dragen"
        },
        {
          "code": "eo",
          "lang": "Esperanto",
          "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
          "word": "porti akvon al rivero"
        },
        {
          "code": "eo",
          "lang": "Esperanto",
          "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
          "word": "porti strigojn al Ateno"
        },
        {
          "code": "et",
          "lang": "Estonian",
          "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
          "word": "kilplasetööd tegema"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
          "word": "kantaa vettä kaivoon"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
          "word": "porter de l’eau à la rivière"
        },
        {
          "code": "ka",
          "lang": "Georgian",
          "note": "ზღვას ქვიშას უმატებენო (zɣvas kvišas umaṭebeno, literally “bring sand to the beach”)",
          "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant"
        },
        {
          "code": "ka",
          "lang": "Georgian",
          "note": "ტყესი შეშის შეტანა (ṭq̇esi šešis šeṭana, literally “carry firewood into the forest”)",
          "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant"
        },
        {
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
          "word": "Eulen nach Athen tragen"
        },
        {
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
          "word": "Holz in den Wald tragen"
        },
        {
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
          "word": "Wasser ins Meer tragen"
        },
        {
          "code": "el",
          "lang": "Greek",
          "note": "κομίζω γλαύκα εις Αθήνας (komízo gláfka eis Athínas, literally “carry owls to Athens”)",
          "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant"
        },
        {
          "code": "grc",
          "lang": "Ancient Greek",
          "roman": "glaûk' eis Athḗnas",
          "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
          "word": "γλαῦκ' εἰς Ἀθήνας"
        },
        {
          "code": "grc",
          "lang": "Ancient Greek",
          "note": "γλαῦκ' Ἀθήναζε (glaûk' Athḗnaze, literally “owls to Athens”)",
          "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant"
        },
        {
          "code": "hi",
          "lang": "Hindi",
          "note": "उल्टे बाँस बरेली को लेना (ulṭe bā̃s barelī ko lenā, literally “take bamboo to Bareilly”)",
          "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant"
        },
        {
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
          "word": "vizet hord a Dunába"
        },
        {
          "code": "is",
          "lang": "Icelandic",
          "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
          "word": "bera í bakkafullan lækinn"
        },
        {
          "code": "ga",
          "lang": "Irish",
          "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
          "word": "ag tabhairt liúdar go Toraigh"
        },
        {
          "code": "ga",
          "lang": "Irish",
          "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
          "word": "ag cuimilt saille de thóin na muice méithe"
        },
        {
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
          "word": "portare nottole ad Atene"
        },
        {
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
          "word": "portare civette ad Atene"
        },
        {
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
          "word": "portare vasi a Samo"
        },
        {
          "alt": "むだぼねをおる",
          "code": "ja",
          "lang": "Japanese",
          "roman": "mudabone wo oru",
          "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
          "word": "無駄骨を折る"
        },
        {
          "code": "la",
          "lang": "Latin",
          "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
          "word": "in silvam ligna ferō"
        },
        {
          "code": "nb",
          "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
          "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
          "word": "gi bakerens barn brød"
        },
        {
          "code": "nb",
          "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
          "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
          "word": "gå over bekken etter vann"
        },
        {
          "code": "nn",
          "lang": "Norwegian Nynorsk",
          "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
          "word": "gje brød til bakaren sine born"
        },
        {
          "code": "fa",
          "lang": "Persian",
          "note": "زیره به کرمان بردن (zire be kermân bordan, literally “bring caraway to Kerman”)",
          "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
          "word": "wozić drewno do lasu"
        },
        {
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
          "word": "levar água ao mar"
        },
        {
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
          "word": "chover no molhado"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "note": "е́здить в Ту́лу со свои́м самова́ром (jézditʹ v Túlu so svoím samovárom, literally “go to Tula with your own samovar”)",
          "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "note": "в лес дрова́ вози́ть (v les drová vozítʹ, literally “carry wood into the forest”)",
          "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant"
        },
        {
          "code": "gd",
          "lang": "Scottish Gaelic",
          "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
          "word": "thoir fiodhrach do Loch Abar"
        },
        {
          "code": "gd",
          "lang": "Scottish Gaelic",
          "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
          "word": "thoir eich a dh'Innse Gall"
        },
        {
          "code": "sk",
          "lang": "Slovak",
          "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
          "word": "voziť drevo do hory"
        },
        {
          "code": "sk",
          "lang": "Slovak",
          "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
          "word": "nosiť sovy do Atén"
        },
        {
          "code": "sn",
          "lang": "Slovene",
          "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
          "word": "zlivati vodo v morje"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
          "word": "llevar leña al monte"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
          "word": "llevar hierro a Vizcaya"
        },
        {
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
          "word": "bära ugglor till Aten"
        },
        {
          "code": "th",
          "lang": "Thai",
          "note": "เอามะพร้าวห้าวไปขายสวน (ao má-práao-hâao bpai kǎai sǔuan, literally “sell ripe coconuts to an orchard”)",
          "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant"
        },
        {
          "code": "th",
          "lang": "Thai",
          "note": "เอาแป้งนวลไปขายชาววัง (ao bpɛ̂ɛng-nuual bpai kǎai chaao-wang, literally “sell face powders to palace ladies”)",
          "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant"
        },
        {
          "code": "tr",
          "lang": "Turkish",
          "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
          "word": "denize su götürmek"
        },
        {
          "code": "cy",
          "lang": "Welsh",
          "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
          "word": "cario glo i Fflint"
        },
        {
          "code": "yi",
          "lang": "Yiddish",
          "note": "פֿירן שטרוי קיין מצרים (firn shtroy keyn mitsraym, literally “carry straw to Egypt”)",
          "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant"
        }
      ],
      "wikipedia": [
        "coals to Newcastle"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "en-au-carry coals to Newcastle.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/d/d5/En-au-carry_coals_to_Newcastle.ogg/En-au-carry_coals_to_Newcastle.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d5/En-au-carry_coals_to_Newcastle.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "word": "carry coals to Newcastle"
}
{
  "coordinate_terms": [
    {
      "word": "sell ice to Eskimos"
    },
    {
      "word": "bring sand to the beach"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "Newcastle upon Tyne"
      },
      "expansion": "Newcastle upon Tyne",
      "name": "l"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "coal"
      },
      "expansion": "coal",
      "name": "l"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Newcastle upon Tyne (in England) was a major coal-exporting city, so sending coal there would be pointless.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "carries coals to Newcastle",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "carrying coals to Newcastle",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "carried coals to Newcastle",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "carried coals to Newcastle",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "carry<> coals to Newcastle"
      },
      "expansion": "carry coals to Newcastle (third-person singular simple present carries coals to Newcastle, present participle carrying coals to Newcastle, simple past and past participle carried coals to Newcastle)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "busman's holiday"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English idioms",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English predicates",
        "English terms derived from toponyms",
        "English terms with audio links",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English verbs",
        "Mandarin terms with non-redundant manual transliterations",
        "Mandarin terms with redundant transliterations",
        "Quotation templates to be cleaned",
        "Yiddish terms with non-redundant manual transliterations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1851, Herman Melville, chapter 81, in Moby-Dick",
          "text": "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.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1960, P. G. Wodehouse, chapter II, in Jeeves in the Offing",
          "text": "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 […]",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To do something that is unneeded or redundant."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "unneeded",
          "unneeded"
        ],
        [
          "redundant",
          "redundant"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) To do something that is unneeded or redundant."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "bring owls to Athens"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ],
      "wikipedia": [
        "coals to Newcastle"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "en-au-carry coals to Newcastle.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/d/d5/En-au-carry_coals_to_Newcastle.ogg/En-au-carry_coals_to_Newcastle.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d5/En-au-carry_coals_to_Newcastle.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "bring coals to Newcastle"
    },
    {
      "word": "take coals to Newcastle"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "ar",
      "lang": "Arabic",
      "note": "اِسْتَبْضِعَ التَّمْرَ إِلَى هَجَر (istabḍiʕa t-tamra ʔilā hajar, literally “carry dates to Hajar”)",
      "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant"
    },
    {
      "code": "ca",
      "lang": "Catalan",
      "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
      "word": "portar aigua al mar"
    },
    {
      "code": "nan-hbl",
      "lang": "Chinese",
      "note": "夯枷 (zh-min-nan) (giâ-kê, literally “carry the shackle”)",
      "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
      "tags": [
        "Hokkien"
      ]
    },
    {
      "code": "nan-hbl",
      "lang": "Chinese",
      "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
      "tags": [
        "Hokkien"
      ],
      "word": "無枷夯交椅"
    },
    {
      "code": "nan-hbl",
      "lang": "Chinese",
      "note": "无枷夯交椅 (bô kê giâ kau-í, literally “carry the armchair if there's no shackle”)",
      "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
      "tags": [
        "Hokkien"
      ]
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
      "word": "多此一舉"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "duōcǐyījǔ",
      "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
      "word": "多此一举"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
      "word": "脫褲子放屁"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "tuō khùzi fàngpì",
      "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
      "word": "脱裤子放屁"
    },
    {
      "code": "cs",
      "lang": "Czech",
      "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
      "word": "nosit dříví do lesa"
    },
    {
      "code": "cs",
      "lang": "Czech",
      "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
      "word": "nosit sovy do Atén"
    },
    {
      "code": "da",
      "lang": "Danish",
      "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
      "word": "give bagerbørn hvedebrød"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
      "word": "uilen naar Athene dragen"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
      "word": "water naar de zee dragen"
    },
    {
      "code": "eo",
      "lang": "Esperanto",
      "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
      "word": "porti akvon al rivero"
    },
    {
      "code": "eo",
      "lang": "Esperanto",
      "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
      "word": "porti strigojn al Ateno"
    },
    {
      "code": "et",
      "lang": "Estonian",
      "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
      "word": "kilplasetööd tegema"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
      "word": "kantaa vettä kaivoon"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
      "word": "porter de l’eau à la rivière"
    },
    {
      "code": "ka",
      "lang": "Georgian",
      "note": "ზღვას ქვიშას უმატებენო (zɣvas kvišas umaṭebeno, literally “bring sand to the beach”)",
      "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant"
    },
    {
      "code": "ka",
      "lang": "Georgian",
      "note": "ტყესი შეშის შეტანა (ṭq̇esi šešis šeṭana, literally “carry firewood into the forest”)",
      "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
      "word": "Eulen nach Athen tragen"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
      "word": "Holz in den Wald tragen"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
      "word": "Wasser ins Meer tragen"
    },
    {
      "code": "el",
      "lang": "Greek",
      "note": "κομίζω γλαύκα εις Αθήνας (komízo gláfka eis Athínas, literally “carry owls to Athens”)",
      "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant"
    },
    {
      "code": "grc",
      "lang": "Ancient Greek",
      "roman": "glaûk' eis Athḗnas",
      "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
      "word": "γλαῦκ' εἰς Ἀθήνας"
    },
    {
      "code": "grc",
      "lang": "Ancient Greek",
      "note": "γλαῦκ' Ἀθήναζε (glaûk' Athḗnaze, literally “owls to Athens”)",
      "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant"
    },
    {
      "code": "hi",
      "lang": "Hindi",
      "note": "उल्टे बाँस बरेली को लेना (ulṭe bā̃s barelī ko lenā, literally “take bamboo to Bareilly”)",
      "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
      "word": "vizet hord a Dunába"
    },
    {
      "code": "is",
      "lang": "Icelandic",
      "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
      "word": "bera í bakkafullan lækinn"
    },
    {
      "code": "ga",
      "lang": "Irish",
      "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
      "word": "ag tabhairt liúdar go Toraigh"
    },
    {
      "code": "ga",
      "lang": "Irish",
      "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
      "word": "ag cuimilt saille de thóin na muice méithe"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
      "word": "portare nottole ad Atene"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
      "word": "portare civette ad Atene"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
      "word": "portare vasi a Samo"
    },
    {
      "alt": "むだぼねをおる",
      "code": "ja",
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "roman": "mudabone wo oru",
      "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
      "word": "無駄骨を折る"
    },
    {
      "code": "la",
      "lang": "Latin",
      "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
      "word": "in silvam ligna ferō"
    },
    {
      "code": "nb",
      "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
      "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
      "word": "gi bakerens barn brød"
    },
    {
      "code": "nb",
      "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
      "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
      "word": "gå over bekken etter vann"
    },
    {
      "code": "nn",
      "lang": "Norwegian Nynorsk",
      "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
      "word": "gje brød til bakaren sine born"
    },
    {
      "code": "fa",
      "lang": "Persian",
      "note": "زیره به کرمان بردن (zire be kermân bordan, literally “bring caraway to Kerman”)",
      "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
      "word": "wozić drewno do lasu"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
      "word": "levar água ao mar"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
      "word": "chover no molhado"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "note": "е́здить в Ту́лу со свои́м самова́ром (jézditʹ v Túlu so svoím samovárom, literally “go to Tula with your own samovar”)",
      "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "note": "в лес дрова́ вози́ть (v les drová vozítʹ, literally “carry wood into the forest”)",
      "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant"
    },
    {
      "code": "gd",
      "lang": "Scottish Gaelic",
      "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
      "word": "thoir fiodhrach do Loch Abar"
    },
    {
      "code": "gd",
      "lang": "Scottish Gaelic",
      "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
      "word": "thoir eich a dh'Innse Gall"
    },
    {
      "code": "sk",
      "lang": "Slovak",
      "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
      "word": "voziť drevo do hory"
    },
    {
      "code": "sk",
      "lang": "Slovak",
      "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
      "word": "nosiť sovy do Atén"
    },
    {
      "code": "sn",
      "lang": "Slovene",
      "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
      "word": "zlivati vodo v morje"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
      "word": "llevar leña al monte"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
      "word": "llevar hierro a Vizcaya"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
      "word": "llevar hierro a Vizcaya"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
      "word": "bära ugglor till Aten"
    },
    {
      "code": "th",
      "lang": "Thai",
      "note": "เอามะพร้าวห้าวไปขายสวน (ao má-práao-hâao bpai kǎai sǔuan, literally “sell ripe coconuts to an orchard”)",
      "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant"
    },
    {
      "code": "th",
      "lang": "Thai",
      "note": "เอาแป้งนวลไปขายชาววัง (ao bpɛ̂ɛng-nuual bpai kǎai chaao-wang, literally “sell face powders to palace ladies”)",
      "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant"
    },
    {
      "code": "tr",
      "lang": "Turkish",
      "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
      "word": "denize su götürmek"
    },
    {
      "code": "cy",
      "lang": "Welsh",
      "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant",
      "word": "cario glo i Fflint"
    },
    {
      "code": "yi",
      "lang": "Yiddish",
      "note": "פֿירן שטרוי קיין מצרים (firn shtroy keyn mitsraym, literally “carry straw to Egypt”)",
      "sense": "do something unneeded or redundant"
    }
  ],
  "word": "carry coals to Newcastle"
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-05-05 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-05-02 using wiktextract (f4fd8c9 and c9440ce). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.