Sylvam Lignum Ferre (In)
. To carry coals to Newcastle. The French say, “Porter de lʹeau à la rivière.” To do a work of supererogation; to paint the lily, or add another perfume to the violet, or perform any other superfluous or ridiculous excess.
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Entry taken from
Dictionary of Phrase and Fable,
edited by the Rev. E. Cobham Brewer, LL.D. and revised in 1895.