coal hole

coal hole

English

Alternative forms

• coal-hole, coalhole

Etymology

From coal +‎ hole.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈkəʊlhəʊl/

Noun

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 2013, p. 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.]