Haul / drag / rake someone over the coals

Origin of: Haul / drag / rake someone over the coals

Haul / drag / rake someone over the coals

Means to reprimand or call someone to task, and derives from the literal, medieval treatment of heretics. If they survived such treatment unscathed, they were judged innocent. The current figurative usage dates from the late 17th century. 'Rake someone over the coals' is the preferred American version of the idiom.