rake over the coals

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rake over the coals

Where it comes from

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.

verb rakes over the coals · raking over the coals · raked over the coals

idiomatic To call to task or to reprimand severely. She raked him over the coals for lying to her.
Similar: haul someone over the coals

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MLA

"rake over the coals." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/rake%20over%20the%20coals. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

rake over the coals. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/rake%20over%20the%20coals

Chicago

"rake over the coals." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/rake%20over%20the%20coals.

BibTeX

@misc{rake_over_the_coals_2026,
  title = {rake over the coals},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/rake%20over%20the%20coals},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}