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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
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Time Traveler for coalface
The first known use of coalface was in 1771
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