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rake over the coals love

rake over the coals

Definitions

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb idiomatic To call to task or to reprimand severely.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

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.

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