Definition

Noun: - A person whose job is to deliver coal: A coalman is someone employed to transport and supply coal, typically to homes or businesses, especially historically when coal was a primary fuel for heating and cooking.

Usage

• As a subject: The coalman arrives early every Monday to deliver our order.
• As an object: We paid the coalman after he unloaded the sacks.
• With a possessive: The coalman's hands were always blackened from his work.

Examples

• In the 1950s, the coalman would carry heavy sacks from his truck to the cellar.
• My grandfather worked as a coalman before central heating became common.
• You could hear the coalman coming down the street because of the sound of the lorry.

Advanced Usage

• Historical/Archaic Context: The term is used less frequently today due to the decline in domestic coal use. It often evokes a specific historical period.
  • The novel depicted the life of a Victorian coalman, detailing the soot and grime of his daily rounds.

Variants and Related Words

• Coal merchant (noun): A person or company involved in the selling and often the delivery of coal. This term can imply a larger-scale business operation than "coalman."
• Coal delivery: The act or service of bringing coal.
• Coal miner (noun): A person who works underground or in a pit to extract coal.

Synonyms

• Coal deliverer: A more descriptive, modern synonym.
• Coal carrier: Emphasizes the transportation aspect.
• Fuel delivery driver: A broader, contemporary term that could include coal.

Notes on Meaning

• The word specifically denotes the person performing the delivery, not the seller or miner. Its usage is strongly tied to a time when door-to-door delivery of solid fuel was a common service.

Noun

1. someone who delivers coal