cauldron bottom
English
[edit]Etymology
[edit]From cauldron + bottom, in reference to the shape and colour as seen from the perspective of someone in the coal mine. Compare Sicilian campanaru (literally “bell tower”) in sulfur mining.
Noun
[edit]cauldron bottom (plural cauldron bottoms)
- (UK, mining slang, obsolete) A large, round mass in a coal seam that forms part of the roof of a coal mine passage (usually being a fossilized root or stump); considered a hazard due to being prone to falling without warning.
- Synonym: (vulgar) cauldron arse
- Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see cauldron, bottom.