heap coals of fire on someone's head en · VERB
Etymology
An allusion to Romans 12:20 in the Bible.
Meanings
-
(intransitive) To excite remorse in someone by returning good for evil.
Therefore if thine enemie hunger, feed him: if he thirst, giue him drink. For in so doing thou shalt heape coales of fire on his head.
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Romans 12:20:Hardy was irritated for a moment, and then was filled with ruth for the poor wrong-headed youngster who was heaping up coals of fire for his own head.
1859–1861, [Thomas Hughes], “The Storm Rages”, in Tom Brown at Oxford: […], part 1st, Boston, Mass.: Ticknor and Fields, published 1861, →OCLC, page 258:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| heaped coals of fire on someone's head | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| heaped coals of fire on someone's head | Tense=Past | lexicographic | |
| heaps coals of fire on someone's head | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic | |
| heaping coals of fire on someone's head | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| heap coals of fire upon someone's head | alternative | lexicographic |