To Carry Coals to Newcastle (Origin)

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What Is the Origin of the Saying "To Carry Coals to Newcastle"?

To carry coals to Newcastle means to do something pointless and superfluous.

Newcastle upon Tyne (England) was a well-known coal-mining area and the United Kingdom's first coal exporting port. With so much coal already in Newcastle, taking more there was pointless.

carry coals to Newcastle

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What are idioms? What is figurative language? A list of common grammar errors A list of easily confused words A list of sayings and proverbs