rake over the coals
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English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
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.
Pronunciation[edit]
Audio (AU) (file)
Verb[edit]
rake over the coals (third-person singular simple present rakes over the coals, present participle raking over the coals, simple past and past participle raked over the coals)
References[edit]
- Oxford English Dictionary
- Your Dictionary.com
- “rake over the coals”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.