More prosaically, the American National Coal Association asserted that the United States profitably sold coal to Newcastle in the early 1990s, and 70,000 tonnes of low- sulphur coal was imported by Alcan from Russia in 2004 for their local aluminium smelting plant.Īlthough the coal industry of Newcastle upon Tyne is now practically non-existent, the expression can still be used today with a degree of literal accuracy, since the harbour of Newcastle in Australia (named for Newcastle in the UK after abundant coal deposits were discovered there and exploited by early European settlers ) has succeeded its UK namesake by becoming the largest exporter of coal in the modern world. He wrote that he instead got a large profit after his cargo arrived during a miners' strike which had crippled local production. Renowned for his eccentricity and regarded as a buffoon, he was persuaded to sail a shipment of coal to Newcastle by rival merchants plotting to ruin him. Timothy Dexter, an American entrepreneur, purportedly succeeded in defying the idiom in the 18th century by shipping coal to Newcastle. ", and suggests a much earlier provenance. I should (according to our English Proverb) thereby carry Coals to Newcastle. In 1661–1662, John Graunt, in his work on the Bills of Mortality for London (published by the Royal Society 1665), uses the phrase in his introductory expression of gratitude to Lord John Roberts, the Lord Privy Seal: ". Thus, the expression predates the 1854 great fire of Newcastle and Gateshead by nearly two centuries and is not morbid humor in response to the fire. The phrase "to carry coals to Newcastle" is first documented in North America in 1679 in William Fitzhugh's letters ("But relating farther to you would be carrying Coals to new Castle") and first appears in a printed title in Labour in Vain: Or Coals to Newcastle: A Sermon to the People of Queen-Hith, 1709. It refers to the fact that, historically, the economy of Newcastle upon Tyne in north-eastern England was heavily dependent on the distribution and sale of coal and therefore any attempt to sell coal to Newcastle would be foolhardy as supply would be greater there than anywhere else in Britain. Send us feedback about these examples.Selling, carrying, bringing, or taking coal(s) to Newcastle is an idiom of British origin describing a pointless action. These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'foolhardy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. 2022 How many more must die or be injured in desperate but foolhardy attempts to fit in? - Mitch Albom, Detroit Free Press, 12 June 2022 See More Rob Copeland, New York Times, Trump and his inner circle also got badly caught out on a foolhardy bluff. Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 12 June 2023 Some Republicans argue that the events prove the opposite: that regulations already on the books are not being effectively enforced, and that adding more would be foolhardy. 2023 Of one thing, Sharansky is sure: Trying to appease Putin would be foolhardy. 2023 The rest of Churchill’s half century in public life involved advocating reactionary and often foolhardy policies. Circuit Court of Appeals as one of the industry’s companies daring-or foolhardy-enough to challenge the Securities and Exchange Commission. Ben Ehrenreich, The New Republic, In a week’s time, Grayscale would be arguing before the D.C. 2023 Plagues made appearances, and the outcomes of wars were influenced here and there by harsh winters or gales at sea or foolhardy decisions involving elephants and alps. Max Holleran, The New Republic, 25 Apr. Recent Examples on the Web But convincing people to get out of them-even just for a stroll to the corner store-is viewed as dangerous, foolhardy, and maybe even un-American.
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