at the coalface

idiom

British
: at the place where the actual work of an activity is done
teachers working at the coalface in inner-city schools

Examples of at the coalface in a Sentence

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This hardscrabble bunch of journalists and technicians is right at the coalface of the struggle against censorship. Stephanie Bunbury, Deadline, 2 Dec. 2024 Other governments have been at the coalface longer. Andrew Bruce, Forbes, 13 Apr. 2022

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“At the coalface.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/at%20the%20coalface. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.

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