"at the coal face" meaning in English

{
  "etymology_text": "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.",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "prepositional phrase",
        "head": ""
      },
      "expansion": "at the coal face",
      "name": "head"
    },
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "at the coal face",
      "name": "en-prep phrase"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "prep_phrase",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "British English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
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          "source": "w"
        },
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          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Directly engaged in the operations of a business, rather than in a hands off, managerial position."
      ],
      "id": "en-at_the_coal_face-en-prep_phrase-VFzkhcXh",
      "links": [
        [
          "Directly",
          "directly"
        ],
        [
          "engaged",
          "engaged"
        ],
        [
          "operation",
          "operation"
        ],
        [
          "business",
          "business"
        ],
        [
          "hands off",
          "hands off"
        ],
        [
          "managerial",
          "managerial"
        ],
        [
          "position",
          "position"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(UK, idiomatic) Directly engaged in the operations of a business, rather than in a hands off, managerial position."
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "chalkface"
        },
        {
          "word": "codeface"
        },
        {
          "word": "front line"
        },
        {
          "word": "day-to-day"
        },
        {
          "word": "hands-on"
        },
        {
          "word": "nitty-gritty"
        },
        {
          "word": "nuts and bolts"
        },
        {
          "word": "on the tools"
        },
        {
          "word": "roll up one's sleeves"
        }
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "in the trenches"
        },
        {
          "word": "where the rubber meets the road"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "UK",
        "idiomatic"
      ],
      "wikipedia": [
        "coal mine"
      ]
    }
  ],
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  ],
  "word": "at the coal face"
}

{
  "etymology_text": "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.",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "prepositional phrase",
        "head": ""
      },
      "expansion": "at the coal face",
      "name": "head"
    },
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "at the coal face",
      "name": "en-prep phrase"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "prep_phrase",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "chalkface"
    },
    {
      "word": "codeface"
    },
    {
      "word": "front line"
    },
    {
      "word": "day-to-day"
    },
    {
      "word": "hands-on"
    },
    {
      "word": "nitty-gritty"
    },
    {
      "word": "nuts and bolts"
    },
    {
      "word": "on the tools"
    },
    {
      "word": "roll up one's sleeves"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "British English",
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English idioms",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English prepositional phrases",
        "Pages with 1 entry",
        "Pages with entries"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Directly engaged in the operations of a business, rather than in a hands off, managerial position."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "Directly",
          "directly"
        ],
        [
          "engaged",
          "engaged"
        ],
        [
          "operation",
          "operation"
        ],
        [
          "business",
          "business"
        ],
        [
          "hands off",
          "hands off"
        ],
        [
          "managerial",
          "managerial"
        ],
        [
          "position",
          "position"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(UK, idiomatic) Directly engaged in the operations of a business, rather than in a hands off, managerial position."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "UK",
        "idiomatic"
      ],
      "wikipedia": [
        "coal mine"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "en-au-at the coal face.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/1/19/En-au-at_the_coal_face.ogg/En-au-at_the_coal_face.ogg.mp3",
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  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "in the trenches"
    },
    {
      "word": "where the rubber meets the road"
    }
  ],
  "word": "at the coal face"
}