heap coals on someone's head

heap coals on someone's head
Heap coals on someone's head
To do something nice or kind to someone who has been nasty to you. If someone felt bad because they forgot to get you a Christmas gift, for you to buy them a specially nice gift is heaping coals on their head. ('Heap coals of fire' is also used.)

The small dictionary of idiomes. 2014.

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  • heap coals of fire on someone's head — To excite someone s remorse and repentance by returning good for evil (from Bible, Romans 12.20) • • • Main Entry: ↑coal * * * go out of one s way to cause someone remorse Origin: with biblical allusion to Rom. 12:20 …   Useful english dictionary

  • heap coals of fire on one's head — {v. phr.}, {literary} To be kind or helpful to someone who has done wrong to you, so that he is ashamed. * /Alice heaped coals of fire on Mary s head by inviting her to a party after Mary had gossiped about her./ * /Jean Valjean stole the Bishop… …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • heap coals of fire on one's head — {v. phr.}, {literary} To be kind or helpful to someone who has done wrong to you, so that he is ashamed. * /Alice heaped coals of fire on Mary s head by inviting her to a party after Mary had gossiped about her./ * /Jean Valjean stole the Bishop… …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • heap\ coals\ of\ fire\ on\ one's\ head — v. phr. literary To be kind or helpful to someone who has done wrong to you, so that he is ashamed. Alice heaped coals of fire on Mary s head by inviting her to a party after Mary had gossiped about her. Jean Valjean stole the Bishop s silver,… …   Словарь американских идиом

  • heap — /hip / (say heep) noun 1. an assemblage of things, lying one on another; a pile: a heap of stones. 2. (sometimes plural) Colloquial a great quantity or number; a multitude: a heap better; heaps further. 3. Colloquial something very old and… …  

  • head — See: ACID HEAD, BEAT INTO ONE S HEAD, BEAT ONE S HEAD AGAINST A WALL, BIG HEAD, COUNT HEADS, EYES IN THE BACK OF ONE S HEAD, FROM HEAD TO FOOT, GET THROUGH ONE S HEAD, GOOD HEAD ON ONE S SHOULDERS, GO TO ONE S HEAD, HANG ONE S HEAD, HAVE ONE S… …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • head — See: ACID HEAD, BEAT INTO ONE S HEAD, BEAT ONE S HEAD AGAINST A WALL, BIG HEAD, COUNT HEADS, EYES IN THE BACK OF ONE S HEAD, FROM HEAD TO FOOT, GET THROUGH ONE S HEAD, GOOD HEAD ON ONE S SHOULDERS, GO TO ONE S HEAD, HANG ONE S HEAD, HAVE ONE S… …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • head — See: acid head, beat into one s head, beat one s head against a wall, big head, count heads, eyes in the back of one s head, from head to foot, get through one s head, good head on one s shoulders, go to one s head, hang one s head, have one s… …   Словарь американских идиом

  • coal — coalless, adj. /kohl/, n. 1. a black or dark brown combustible mineral substance consisting of carbonized vegetable matter, used as a fuel. Cf. anthracite, bituminous coal, lignite. 2. a piece of glowing, charred, or burned wood or other… …   Universalium

  • coal — [kōl] n. [ME & OE col, charcoal, live coal, akin to Ger kohle, ON kol < IE base * g(e)u lo , live coal > Ir gual] 1. a kind of dark brown to black, combustible, sedimentary rock resulting from the partial decomposition of vegetable matter… …   English World dictionary

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