carry coals to Newcastle

Etymology
(in England) was a major -exporting city, so sending coal there would be pointless.

Verb

 * 1)  To do something that is unneeded or redundant.

Translations

 * Arabic: اِسْتَبْضِعَ التَّمْرَ إِلَى هَجَر
 * Catalan: portar aigua al mar
 * Chinese:
 * Hokkien:, 無枷夯交椅
 * Mandarin: ,
 * Czech:, nosit sovy do Atén
 * Danish: man skal ikke give bagerbørn hvedebrød
 * Dutch: uilen naar Athene dragen, water naar de zee dragen
 * Esperanto: porti akvon al rivero, porti strigojn al Ateno
 * Estonian: kilplasetööd tegema
 * Finnish: kantaa vettä kaivoon
 * French:
 * Georgian: ზღვას ქვიშას უმატებენო, ტყესი შეშის შეტანა
 * German: ; ;
 * Greek:
 * Ancient: γλαῦκ' εἰς Ἀθήνας, γλαῦκ' Ἀθήναζε
 * Hindi: उल्टे बाँस बरेली को लेना
 * Hungarian:
 * Icelandic: bera í bakkafullan lækinn
 * Irish: ag tabhairt liúdar go Toraigh, ag cuimilt saille de thóin na muice méithe
 * Italian: portare nottole ad Atene, portare civette ad Atene, portare vasi a Samo
 * Japanese: 無駄骨を折る
 * Latin: in silvam ligna ferō
 * Norwegian:
 * Bokmål: gi bakerens barn brød,
 * Nynorsk: gje brød til bakaren sine born
 * Persian: زیره به کرمان بردن
 * Polish:
 * Portuguese: levar água ao mar,
 * Russian: ,
 * Scottish Gaelic: thoir fiodhrach do Loch Abar, thoir eich a dh'Innse Gall
 * Slovak: voziť drevo do hory, nosiť sovy do Atén
 * Slovene: zlivati vodo v morje
 * Spanish: llevar leña al monte, llevar hierro a Vizcaya, llevar hierro a Vizcaya
 * Swedish: bära ugglor till Aten
 * Thai:, เอาแป้งนวลไปขายชาววัง
 * Turkish: denize su götürmek
 * Welsh: cario glo i Fflint
 * Yiddish: פֿירן שטרוי קיין מצרים