belt air
n.— «Stricken from Yonts’ bill was a provision that would have barred the use of conveyor-belt tunnels for coal-mine ventilation. “Belt air,” as it is known in the industry, may contain coal dust and toxic chemicals, and is considered a grave hazard by mine-safety advocates, who say it can feed fires and expose miners to harmful airborne substances. The industry, by contrast, contends that the use of belt air is safe if certain precautions are taken.» —“Sponsor says mine-safety bill ‘hijacked’” by R. G. Dunlop in Frankfort, Kentucky Courier-Journal (Louisville, Kentucky) Feb. 23, 2007. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
A Kentuckian named Sheila moved out of state for several years, but now that she’s returned to work at Western Kentucky University, she finds that many students no longer seem to have a stereotypically “Southern” accent...
Andre from Campbellsville, Kentucky, says his mother won’t watch a movie if it’s ary a bit violent. What does the word ary mean? Spelled airy, ara, arey, or ery, this dialectal term a shortening of ever a, and means “any” or...