| 词汇 | haul over the coals |
| 词源 | haul over the coals. Heresy in medieval times was deter- mined not by a jury trial but by ordeal by fire. Accused per- sons were hauled or dragged over the coals of a slow fire and those who burned to death were considered guilty of depart- ing from the teachings of the church; those who survived were pronounced innocent. From this and similar barbarous practices in 15th- and 16th-century England, comes the ex- pression to haul over the coals, for “a severe reprimand or censure.” |
| 随便看 |
英语词源词典收录了13259条英语词源词条，基本涵盖了全部常用英语词汇的起源、历史，是研究英语词汇或通过词源学英语的必备工具。