coal-mine
- Noun:
- A mine from which coal is extracted: A "coal-mine" is an excavation or site, typically underground, where coal is dug or mined from the earth.
- An industrial operation: The term can also refer to the entire facility or business involved in coal extraction.
- Noun:
- The workers descended into the deep coal-mine every morning. (A place where coal is extracted from underground.)
- The old coal-mine was closed due to safety concerns. (An industrial site for coal extraction that is no longer operational.)
"to work in a coal-mine": to be employed in the extraction of coal.
- His grandfather worked in a coal-mine for forty years. (He was a coal miner for decades.)
"a coal-mine shaft": the vertical passage used to access the coal seam.
- The coal-mine shaft was over a thousand feet deep. (The entrance tunnel leading to the coal layer.)
Coal miner (n): a person who works in a coal-mine.
- The coal miner wore a helmet and carried a lamp. (A labourer who extracts coal.)
Coal mining (n): the industry or process of extracting coal from the earth.
- Coal mining is a dangerous but important industry. (The activity of digging for coal.)
Colliery: a coal-mine and its associated buildings and equipment, especially in British English.
- The colliery employed hundreds of local men. (A coal-mining facility.)
Pit: a colloquial term for a coal-mine, especially in British English.
- He worked in the pit all his life. (A coal-mine, often underground.)
"a canary in a coal-mine": a warning sign of danger, originating from the historical use of canaries to detect toxic gases in coal-mines.
- Rising sea levels are a canary in a coal-mine for climate change. (An early indicator of a serious problem.)
"coal-mine to diamond": a metaphor for turning something rough or common into something valuable (less common, derived from the idea of coal being transformed into diamonds under pressure).
- Her journey from poverty to success was like a coal-mine to diamond. (A transformation from humble beginnings to greatness.)