From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcoalfacecoal‧face /ˈkəʊlfeɪs $ ˈkoʊl-/ noun British English 1 TI[countable] the part of a coal mine where the coal is cut from the ground2 → at the coalface
Examples from the Corpus
coalface• Further investment is needed to allow the consortium to open another coalface to speed up production.• I have tremendous admiration for anyone who has spent a lifetime in the mining industry, especially at the coalface.• At the coalface your guides will explain the different methods of extracting coal and the working conditions of the miners.• His grandfather worked the coalface and his father was a Miners' Union official.From Longman Business Dictionarycoalfacecoal‧face /ˈkəʊlfeɪsˈkoʊl-/ noun [countable usually singular]1the part of a coal mine where coal is cut from the earth2at the coalface British English doing work and gaining experience yourself, rather than studying or readinghis experiences in dealing with boards and managers at the coalface in retail banking 