This is the
talk page for discussing improvements to the
Coals to Newcastle article. This is not a forum for general discussion of the article's subject. |
Article policies
|
Find sources: Google ( books · news · scholar · free images · WP refs) · FENS · JSTOR · TWL |
![]() | This article is rated C-class on Wikipedia's
content assessment scale. It is of interest to the following WikiProjects: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
![]() | A fact from Coals to Newcastle appeared on Wikipedia's
Main Page in the
Did you know column on 1 April 2008, and was viewed approximately 6,029 times (
disclaimer) (
check views). The text of the entry was as follows:
| ![]() |
The first citation - for the meaning of this phrase - is to the 'freedictionary'. If you follow the link, and read the small print, you will find that the freedictionary cites this Wikipedia article as their source. So in the end this article is citing itself.
It would probably be a good idea to find a different source. Especially for crucial information such as the definition of the phrase. Gavroche42 11:34, 1 October 2007 (UTC)
With regards to the French idiom, the wikipedia entries on eskimo suggest that the word isn't synonymous to Inuit. Also, there's no citations for the sentence. Andjam ( talk) 01:22, 12 March 2008 (UTC)
...but in Australia. The Aussie Newcastle is today the world's largest coal export harbour. The term is still used in Australia, but now referring to the Australian Newcastle instead of the English one as originally intended (and in many cases forgotten). Of course, I have no references to prove this, just personal experience. 52 Pickup (deal) 06:18, 1 April 2008 (UTC)
I've been told that there's a phrase with similar meaning which translates as "Carrying Owls to Athens". It's used in at least Greece and Germany. I don't have any references though - this was from German and Greek friends. 217.146.112.205 ( talk) 22:32, 12 April 2009 (UTC)
The expression "Vizet hord a Dunába." in Hungarian is so similar that Wikiquote says "English equivalent: It's like bringing coal to Newcastle." https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Hungarian_proverbs#V — Preceding unsigned comment added by 174.7.175.152 ( talk) 05:32, 29 May 2017 (UTC)
The common use is Taking coals to Newcastle which is supported by one of the few references that still work. It is my proposal to move this page over re-direct to that title. Velella Velella Talk 20:44, 10 February 2013 (UTC)
The result of the proposal was moved to Coals to Newcastle. -- BDD ( talk) 18:17, 19 March 2013 (UTC) ( non-admin closure)
Selling coal to Newcastle → Taking coals to Newcastle – Proposed name represents common UK usage of the term and is the only usage supported by existing references in the article. BBC link quotes "coals to Newcastle" [1], whilst the Northern Echo (the local paper for Newcastle) quotes Taking coals to Newcastle [2]. Issue was raised here on 10th February without any dissent Relisted. BDD ( talk) 16:41, 12 March 2013 (UTC) Velella Velella Talk 16:05, 27 February 2013 (UTC)
You have twisted the the expression "carrying coals to Newcastle" and changed it to "selling" so you can celebrate how wonderful American industrialists are because people in Newcastle buy American coal. The the expression is "carrying" or "taking." I know you changed the title, but the definition in the article still erroneously uses "selling" as its key point.
It is not about attempting an impossible task, selling things or economics. It's about foolishly bringing something to where it is already plentiful. They don't need coals in Newcastle, and carrying them there is a complete waste of effort, because I could have just gone to Newcastle and got coal when I arrived. If my Italian mother-in-law invites me over for supper and I bring meatballs, it's like "carrying coals to Newcastle," because she always prepares many more meatballs than everyone can eat and I have wasted my time making the meatballs I brought (and everyone will have a laugh at my expense because I should have known better). CaperBill ( talk) 00:22, 14 August 2013 (UTC)
- Thanks for the correction. This mischaracterization of "selling coals to Newcastle" (even citing the law of supply and demand) left me completely confused, becasue unless the exporters are operating their own mines, lots of coal was clearly being sold (to the exporting businesses) in Newcastle. To clarify on your suspected reason for this error, I thing it is just a consequence of the free-market-fundamentalist, "Reason" magazine-reading POV that most of Wikipedia contributors have when dealing with social, plitical or economic matters. 199.115.12.254 ( talk) 19:09, 28 October 2013 (UTC)
Hello fellow Wikipedians,
I have just modified 2 external links on Coals to Newcastle. Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:
When you have finished reviewing my changes, please set the checked parameter below to true or failed to let others know (documentation at {{
Sourcecheck}}
).
This message was posted before February 2018.
After February 2018, "External links modified" talk page sections are no longer generated or monitored by InternetArchiveBot. No special action is required regarding these talk page notices, other than
regular verification using the archive tool instructions below. Editors
have permission to delete these "External links modified" talk page sections if they want to de-clutter talk pages, but see the
RfC before doing mass systematic removals. This message is updated dynamically through the template {{
source check}}
(last update: 5 June 2024).
Cheers.— InternetArchiveBot ( Report bug) 03:00, 27 November 2016 (UTC)
Hello fellow Wikipedians,
I have just modified 2 external links on Coals to Newcastle. Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:
When you have finished reviewing my changes, you may follow the instructions on the template below to fix any issues with the URLs.
This message was posted before February 2018.
After February 2018, "External links modified" talk page sections are no longer generated or monitored by InternetArchiveBot. No special action is required regarding these talk page notices, other than
regular verification using the archive tool instructions below. Editors
have permission to delete these "External links modified" talk page sections if they want to de-clutter talk pages, but see the
RfC before doing mass systematic removals. This message is updated dynamically through the template {{
source check}}
(last update: 5 June 2024).
Cheers.— InternetArchiveBot ( Report bug) 23:43, 9 August 2017 (UTC)
Hello fellow Wikipedians,
I have just modified one external link on Coals to Newcastle. Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:
When you have finished reviewing my changes, you may follow the instructions on the template below to fix any issues with the URLs.
This message was posted before February 2018.
After February 2018, "External links modified" talk page sections are no longer generated or monitored by InternetArchiveBot. No special action is required regarding these talk page notices, other than
regular verification using the archive tool instructions below. Editors
have permission to delete these "External links modified" talk page sections if they want to de-clutter talk pages, but see the
RfC before doing mass systematic removals. This message is updated dynamically through the template {{
source check}}
(last update: 5 June 2024).
Cheers.— InternetArchiveBot ( Report bug) 10:34, 22 September 2017 (UTC)
Citation 2 credits fitzhugh who was not alive at the time credited. 172.58.89.182 ( talk) 03:13, 16 April 2022 (UTC)
The saying is as old as Newcastle on Tyne is. St. Jerome says in "AGAINST THE PELAGIANS" (4th century) "I believe I should bring this work to a close, lest I hear the well-known dictum of Horace quoted to me: 'Do not carry coals to New Castle.'" (Horace, Satires 1.10.34.) Quintus Horatius Flaccus lived before Christ. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 189.85.182.159 ( talk) 15:21, 5 August 2022 (UTC)
The Midrash reports a version of the saying used in Ancient Egypt: "Wheat to Ophrayem". Drsruli ( talk) 20:31, 27 October 2022 (UTC)