coalface

noun

Save Word

coal·face | \ ˈkōl-ˌfās

plural coalfaces

Definition of coalface

British

: the place inside a mine where the coal is cut out of the rock The war started, and he spent six years building bridges in North Africa, which he said was easier than working on the coalface in Wales.— Denny Taylor, Beginning to Read and the Spin Doctors of Science, 1998

at the coalface British

: at the place where the actual work of an activity is done Offering differentiation will be particularly important in sectors at the coalface of the UK's economic downturn. — Marketing Week, 5 Jan. 2012