coal hole

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Jump to navigation Jump to search

English

[edit]
English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Alternative forms

[edit]

Etymology

[edit]

From coal +‎ hole.

Pronunciation

[edit]

Noun

[edit]

coal hole (plural coal holes)

  1. A cellar or other compartment for storing coal. [from 17th c.]
    • 1976, Angela Carter, “The Mother Lode”, in Shaking a Leg, Vintage, published 2013, page 3:
      [T]he back door opened on to a paved yard, with a coal-hole beside the back gate that my grandmother topped up with a bit of judicious thieving for, unlike the other coal-holes along the terrace, ours was not entitled to the free hand-outs from the pits for miners' families.
  2. A hole in the pavement with a removable hatch, leading to an underground coal bunker. [from 18th c.]