| 释义 |
coals BrE /kəʊlz/
NAmE /koʊlz/
●(carry/take) coals to ˈNewcastle (BrE) (supply) sth that there is already a lot of 多此一举；徒劳无功；白费力气◆Exporting wine to France would be like taking coals to Newcastle.
向法国出口葡萄酒是多此一举。 NOTE Newcastle-upon-Tyne, in the north of England, was once an important coal-mining centre. 英格兰北部泰恩河畔的纽卡斯尔曾是重要的产煤中心。 ●haul sb over the ˈcoals (BrE) (NAmE rake sb over the ˈcoals) (informal) criticize sb very strongly for sth they have done 严厉训斥（或斥责）某人◆I was hauled over the coals for being late.我迟到了，被狠狠地训了一顿。 ORIGIN This was once a form of torture (= an act of causing somebody severe pain as a punishment or to make them say something) in which a person was pulled over hot or burning pieces of coal. 这原是一种刑讯方式，受罚者被拖到滚烫或燃烧的煤块上。 |