To be at the coalface means to be on the front lines–working at a practical level, rather than a theoretical one. The phrase is primarily British, and derives from the image of coal miners having direct contact with exposed ore. This is part of a complete episode.
Transcript of “Coalface”
I came across an expression the other day that was new to me in a news story.
Have you heard the expression at the coal face?
Yes, that’s British, right?
Yes, yes.
A particular group is at the coal face of social issues.
You’re in the vanguard.
You’re in the front lines of it, on the cutting edge.
Yes, yes.
And you know the origin then?
Newcastle, coal mining, right?
Exactly.
If you’re at the coalface, you’re actually digging into it and loading it up in the carts to take back.
That’s right.
You are the miner at the coalface.
Nice.
I wasn’t familiar with that one.
At the coalface.
It’s a good one.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So something’s good in theory, but.
We know it in the U.S., but we don’t use it, right?
I didn’t know it until yesterday.
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