haul over the coals
IdiomsExample Sentences
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Explain these phrases: "to be in hot water;" "to go through fire and water;" and "to haul over the coals."
From Project Gutenberg
Another way of performing the fire ordeal was by running through the flame of two fires built close together, or by walking over live brands; hence the phrase "to haul over the coals."
From Project Gutenberg
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.