coal-oil

A miner fills a lamp with coal-oil before descending into the mine.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • Petroleum: "coal-oil" is an older term for petroleum or crude oil, especially in American English usage.
   • Kerosene: In historical and regional contexts, "coal-oil" specifically refers to kerosene, a flammable hydrocarbon liquid derived from petroleum, used for lighting and heating.

Usage Examples

• (Kerosene lamps provided light.)
• (Kerosene was stored for lighting equipment.)

Advanced Usage

• "coal-oil stove": a stove that burns kerosene for cooking or heating.

  • The cabin was equipped with a coal-oil stove for winter. (A kerosene-burning stove.)

• "coal-oil johnny": a historical slang term for a person who sells kerosene or works with it.

  • The coal-oil johnny made his rounds delivering fuel to remote farms. (A kerosene delivery man.)

Variants and Related Words

• Coal oil (n): a synonym for kerosene, especially in American English.

  • The old coal oil lamp still works perfectly. (The kerosene lamp is functional.)

• Oil (n): a broader term for any viscous, combustible liquid derived from petroleum or plants.

  • She used olive oil for cooking. (Cooking oil.)

Synonyms

• Kerosene: a thin, clear liquid distilled from petroleum, used as fuel.
• Paraffin: a British English term for kerosene.
• Petroleum: a naturally occurring liquid mixture of hydrocarbons.

Phrasal Verbs

• Burn coal-oil: to use kerosene as fuel.
  • They burned coal-oil in the heater all winter. (They used kerosene for heating.)

Related Idioms

• Coal-oil money: historical term for wealth derived from the petroleum industry.
  • The family made their coal-oil money during the oil boom. (Wealth from oil.)