Meaning & use
coal scuttle
Last updated
UK/ˈkəʊl ˌskʌtl/
US/ˈkoʊl ˌskʌtl/
Meaning
nouncountable
A metal bucket with a wide lip, kept beside a fireplace to hold coal and pour it on the fire.
Grammar: Countable: one coal scuttle, two coal scuttles.
Patterns
- a coal scuttle full of something
She filled the coal scuttle before the evening got cold.
An antique coal scuttle stood beside the hearth.
He carried the heavy coal scuttle in from the shed.
Word forms
| plural | coal scuttles |
|---|
Common combinations
- fill the coal scuttle
- The boy had to fill the coal scuttle each night.
- brass coal scuttle
- A brass coal scuttle sat by the fire.
- empty coal scuttle
- The coal scuttle was empty by morning.
- antique coal scuttle
- They bought an antique coal scuttle to hold magazines.
Synonyms and how they differ
- coal bucket
- Coal bucket is a plainer and more common phrase, especially in American English.
- fire bucket
- A fire bucket is for water or sand to put out flames, not to feed a fire.
- log basket
- A log basket holds wood, while a coal scuttle holds coal.
Word family
Commonly confused: coal scuttle or scuttle?
coal scuttle vs scuttle
As a verb scuttle means to run with short quick steps or to sink a ship on purpose, unrelated to coal holders.
Practice
Where would you most likely find a coal scuttle in an old house?
Choose one answer.
It holds coal for the fire, so it sits near the fireplace. The other places have no connection with heating.
Make it your own
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