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
Charlotte from Princeton, Kentucky, wonders: What’s the difference between a spider web and a cobweb? There’s a bit of semantic differentiation between the two: A cobweb is usually an old spider web, while a spider web that’s not...
Sherman from Harrodsburg, Kentucky, says her grandfather used to speak of accomplishing something physically challenging through main strength and awkwardness–in other words, through brute force and sheer determination. In the 1500s, English...