carry coals to Newcastle

carry coals to Newcastle
"возить уголь в Ньюкасл", т. е. возить что-л. туда, где этого и так достаточно (ср. ехать в Тулу со своим самоваром) [Ньюкасл - центр английской угольной промышленности]

The things she brought became more marvellous every week. But however much she carried coals to Newcastle, or tobacco pouches to those who did not smoke, or homeopathic globules to such as crunched up the whole bottleful for the sake of the sugar as soon as her back was turned, no one ever smiled now with anything but real pleasure at the sight of her calm and truly sweet smile. (J. Galsworthy, ‘Caravan’, ‘The Grey Angel’) — Каждую неделю эта пожилая дама приносила в госпиталь все более удивительные вещи. Но сколько бы она ни привозила угля в Ньюкасл, или, точнее, кисетов некурящим или гомеопатических лекарств больным, которые, стоило ей отвернуться, могли выпить целую бутылку сладкого зелья, их лица выражали удовольствие при виде ее спокойной и очень милой улыбки.


Большой англо-русский фразеологический словарь. - М.: «Русский язык-Медиа».. 2006.

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Смотреть что такое "carry coals to Newcastle" в других словарях:

  • carry coals to Newcastle — To take a thing where it is already most abundant • • • Main Entry: ↑coal * * * carry/take/coals to Newcastle british phrase to supply something to a place or person when they do not need it because they have a lot of it already Thesaurus …   Useful english dictionary

  • carry coals to Newcastle — {v. phr.} To do something unnecessary; bring or furnish something of which there is plenty. * /The man who waters his grass after a good rain is carrying coals to Newcastle./ * /Joe was carrying coals to Newcastle when he told the doctor how to… …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • carry coals to Newcastle — {v. phr.} To do something unnecessary; bring or furnish something of which there is plenty. * /The man who waters his grass after a good rain is carrying coals to Newcastle./ * /Joe was carrying coals to Newcastle when he told the doctor how to… …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • Carry coals to Newcastle — Newcastle New cast le, prop. n. A town in England. [PJC] {Carry coals to Newcastle} to do something utterly superfluous; to do something useless or wasteful; from the nearness of Newcastle to the coal mining district. [PJC] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • carry coals to Newcastle — carry/take coals to Newcastle British to take something to a place or a person that has a lot of that thing already. Exporting pine to Scandinavia is a bit like carrying coals to Newcastle …   New idioms dictionary

  • carry\ coals\ to\ Newcastle — v. phr. To do something unnecessary; bring or furnish something of which there is plenty. The man who waters his grass after a good rain is carrying coals to Newcastle. Joe was carrying coals to Newcastle when he told the doctor how to cure a… …   Словарь американских идиом

  • To carry coals to Newcastle — Carry Car ry, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Carried}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Carrying}.] [OF. carier, charier, F. carrier, to cart, from OF. car, char, F. car, car. See {Car}.] 1. To convey or transport in any manner from one place to another; to bear; often… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • carry coals to Newcastle — Meaning To do something pointless and superfluous. Origin Newcastle in England was a well known coal mining area and the first coal exporting port. Taking coal there was an architypally pointless activity, on a par with selling snow to Eskimos …   Meaning and origin of phrases

  • carry coals to Newcastle — verb To do something that is unneeded or redundant …   Wiktionary

  • carry coals to Newcastle — take an unnecessary item to an area where it is already plentiful (such as taking ice to Antarctica) …   English contemporary dictionary

  • carry coals to Newcastle — idi to provide something already present in abundance …   From formal English to slang


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