coal scuttle

9.1

A metal container with a sloping front for holding and pouring coal into a fire

noun
/koʊl ˈskʌtəl/

Archaic

: cubo de carbón

After the storm, he noticed the coal scuttle was empty and needed to be refilled.

Examples

He filled the coal scuttle with enough fuel to keep the fire going all night.
"'Make up the fires and buy another coal scuttle...

Lady in the Lake (1946)
As she waited for the kettle to boil, she looked around for something to do, but the breakfast dishes were washed, the plants watered, and the coal scuttle was full.

Fiction book (1996)
The decorated coal scuttle sat elegantly beside the fireplace, ready to pour coal.

Synonyms

scuttle

vscoal scuttle

Archaic

1 8.4

A metal container with a sloping lid for holding coal to pour on a fire

has only a sloping lip rather than a lid

How Big

bunker

Specialized

7 5.1

coalbin

Archaic

6.6

coal scuttle

Archaic

9.1

hod

Specialized

1 9.9

Surface Forms

coal scuttle singular

coal scuttles plural

Morphology

coal + scuttle

The meaning is fully compositional: 'scuttle' denotes a kind of container and 'coal' specifies its contents, so the compound refers to a container for coal. This noun+noun modifier pattern is a common, predictable English compounding strategy, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can infer the meaning.

Etymology

The noun coal scuttle names a metal container used to hold and pour coal into a fireplace. The word scuttle describes the small bucket with a slanted lip or spout that makes it easy to 'pour' the fuel into the fire, so the name simply describes the tool for feeding a fire.