at the coal face

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at the coal face

Where it comes from

From being in a coal mine, at the face where the mining is actually occurring, especially in dark, cramped, dirty, hazardous conditions. Compare front line and trenches, of similar formation.

phrase

UK, idiomatic Directly engaged in the operations of a business, rather than in a hands off, managerial position.
Similar: in the trenches, where the rubber meets the road

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Cite this

MLA

"at the coal face." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/at%20the%20coal%20face. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

at the coal face. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/at%20the%20coal%20face

Chicago

"at the coal face." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/at%20the%20coal%20face.

BibTeX

@misc{at_the_coal_face_2026,
  title = {at the coal face},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/at%20the%20coal%20face},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}