Buckwheat coal is an American coal trade term for a specific size grade of anthracite — small, roughly marble-sized pieces named for their resemblance in size to buckwheat grains. The American anthracite industry developed an elaborate sizing system from the largest sizes ('steamboat,' 'broken') down to tiny fragments ('rice,' 'barley,' 'buckwheat'). The term is technical and historical, belonging to the specialised vocabulary of the Pennsylvania anthracite coal trade.
The furnace ran best on buckwheat coal, which fed steadily without the clinkering problems of larger sizes.
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(US) small-sized anthracite coal.
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Regional slang from around the English-speaking world — British, Australian, Irish, Caribbean, Nigerian, Filipino, AAVE, and the hyphenated-English dialects that make the internet sound local.
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