Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

rake over the coals

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.83 in modern English

Syllables
rake over the -coals
IPA
28
Scrabble Score
16
Letters
2
Syllables
11
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To call to task or to reprimand severely.

Example Sentences

Etymology

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.

Inflected Forms

rakes over the coals (present, singular) raking over the coals (participle, present) raked over the coals (participle, past) raked over the coals (past)

Synonyms

haul someone over the coals

Questions

What does rake over the coals mean?
To call to task or to reprimand severely.
Where does rake over the coals come 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.

How to pronounce rake over the coals

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “rake over the coals”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “rake over the coals”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “rake over the coals” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.