Meanings
- UKidiomaticDirectly engaged in the operations of a business, rather than in a hands off, managerial position.
Synonyms: in the trenches, where the rubber meets the road
Synonyms & antonyms
prepositional phraseDirectly engaged in the operations of a business, rather than in a hands off, managerial position.
Origin
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.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
at the coal face. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/at%20the%20coal%20face
“at the coal face.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/at%20the%20coal%20face. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “at the coal face,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/at%20the%20coal%20face.
Source: at the coal face on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.