shovelful

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English

Etymology

From shovel +‎ -ful.

Noun

shovelful (plural shovelfuls or shovelsful)

  1. The amount that can be moved at once with a shovel.
    One shovelful of dirt makes a molehill; a million shovelfuls make a mountain.
    Two workers each had a shovelful of snow. There were two shovelsful of snow.
    • 1947 January and February, Cecil J. Allen, “British Locomotive Practice and Performance”, in Railway Magazine, page 39:
      As to the fireman, the sight of him at work, swinging round with his shovelful of coal and at the same moment lightly depressing his right heel and so working the pedal which causes the steam-operated firedoors to open like magic in front of the shovel, was always a pleasure.
    • 1961 February, 'Balmore', “Driving and firing modern French steam locomotives - Part One”, in Trains Illustrated, page 109:
      The doors are at the right level for firing, which normally is down one side of the firebox at a time, unlike our own practice, which is to fire each side of the firebox with alternate shovelfuls.

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