Well attestedNamed from the place
carry coals to Newcastle
verb · first attested 17th century
The Tyne shipped coal south for centuries; nobody needed anyone to bring some.
To supply something to a place that already has more of it than it needs.
Newcastle upon Tyne·United Kingdom
54.9778°N -1.6133°W · Q1425428
Record
- Relationship
- Named from the place
- Confidence
- Well attestedThe place link is the standard scholarly account.
- Attested
- 17th century
- Part of speech
- verb
Explanations here are written for this atlas. Dictionary text is not copied; the sources are linked so the claim can be checked.
- Step 1
Newcastle upon Tyne
- In English
carry coals to Newcastle
Coal went from the Tyne to London by sea from the medieval period onward, and Thomas Fuller had the proverb in print by 1661. The Northumberland and Durham pits have since closed, which turns the joke into a historical footnote about an industry that is gone.
Also pinned to Newcastle upon Tyne
2 more from the same place
United Kingdom
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