I was talking with a friend who mentioned “taking tea to India”. It made me wonder what the equivalents are around the world. “Taking coals to Newcastle” is the UK’s.
14 points
Carrying water to the sea is the Dutch version.
4 points
13 points
Taking guns to America?
I think “selling ice to Eskimos” is the American equivalent. Naturally, the version of this phrase: 1) involves an exonym that’s a bit offensive 2) kinda makes doing a pointless exercise sound like a good thing.
4 points
We also use “taking coals to Newcastle” here in the Midwestern U.S. (Something about being descended from former British colonies…) But I’ve heard plenty of riffs on that idea, like, “bringing corn to Iowa.”
4 points
Bringing sand to Sahara
