What is the meaning of raking over the coals?
Reprimand severely
Reprimand severely, as in When Dad finds out about the damage to the car, he’s sure to rake Peter over the coals, or The coach hauled him over the coals for missing practice. These terms allude to the medieval torture of pulling a heretic over red-hot coals. [ Early 1800s]
Where did the expression rake over the coals come from?
Etymology. The earliest example given is from 1565: “S. Augustine, that knewe best how to fetche an heretike ouer the coles.” (OED). From the practice of dragging or raking heretics over coals performed by the Catholic Church as a form of torture.
What is the meaning of live coals?
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English live coalspieces of coal that are burning She threw the paper onto the live coals.
What does rake over mean?
chiefly British, informal. : to continue to think or talk about (something that happened in the past) Don’t spend so much time raking over the past.
Has there a finger in the pie?
If you say that someone has a finger in every pie, you mean they are involved in a lot of things. He very much likes to have a finger in every pie. He’s a man with fingers in a lot of pies.
What does Made in the Shade mean?
have a very easy life
Definition of have it made in the shade : to have a very easy life or to be in a very good situation She had to work hard for many years to achieve success, but now she has it made in the shade.
What is the meaning of idiom high and dry?
Definition of high and dry 1 : being out of reach of the current or tide or out of the water. 2 : being in a helpless or abandoned position.
What are synonyms for coal?
synonyms for coal
- anthracite.
- ash.
- carbon.
- char.
- charcoal.
- cinder.
- culm.
- ember.
What does beard the lion mean?
Confront a danger, take a risk, as in I went straight to my boss, bearding the lion. This term was originally a Latin proverb based on a Bible story (I Samuel 17:35) about the shepherd David, who pursued a lion that had stolen a lamb, caught it by its beard, and killed it.
What does put your foot in it mean?
embarrassed, upset
Definition of put one’s foot in it informal. : to say something that causes someone to be embarrassed, upset, or hurt especially when the speaker did not expect that reaction I really put my foot in it when I asked her about her job. I didn’t know she had just been fired.