Fuente de la expresión
The Free Dictionary and MacMillan Dictionary
Estructura completa
To haul sb over the coals
Variantes
criticize, blame, put yourself down
Contexto
Let me conclude with a little anecdote that shows the sort of thing we must
deal with. A farm near where I live was visited by the supervisory
authority, because the satellite system had allegedly enabled it to identify
a gully, in other words a prohibited drainage system. The inspectors said it
must be over there in a particular spot where the system had shown it to be.
The farmer, however, assured them that he had done nothing. And what had
actually happened? A plastic mat was lying in the field – which should not happen
either – and the grass had grown through it. That was what the satellite system
had picked up, and now the authorities had come to haul the farmer over the coals.
Tipo de fuente
webpage
Autor
Friedrich-Wilhelm Graefe zu Baringdorf
Título de la fuente
European Parliament
Año
2008
Web
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-//EP//TEXT+CRE+20080115+ITEMS+DOC+XML+V0//EN&language=EN
Idioma
English
Nivel de uso
Popular/Familiar/Coloquial
Marca dialectal
General
Frecuencia
Frecuente