Slovenian mining terminology
ables – previous shift
abšura – to hew wood into a semicircular profile
abzer – abziha, gutman – supervisor
afati – wood formworking
ahti se – please be careful
ajkoletva – roadway element for a roadheader
ajmer – bucket
ajncen – exhaust air
ajnlaser – worker at the lift
ajznpon – railway
ajnšlugar – worker at the extraction pit (pushing wagons into the lift and performing signalling duties)
ajznpon – railway
ašpl – windlass
aufcug – hanger
auscen – inlet air
baga – coal dust
barbara – Saint Barbara, patron saint of miners
bašperh – low-grade ore
befel – command
beglajtat – to monitor entry into and exit from the pit
bejš – go
beksl – switch
beksl – switch on the track
bencinka – petrol-fuelled lamp
bergmandlc – cave gnome
berilo – work schedule
berkleder – protective leather for miners
berma – gradient adjacent to the path
betrib – drive
blenda– barrier
bližnkar – transporting the wagons to the shaft
bolcn – pin
bremazti – to brake
bremz – a dip heading or an area in a mine excavated between two levels on a downward slope
brinta – a small barrel in the pit latrine
bulger – rollers
cahn – signal
cajg – work tool
cajg kišta – box containing tools
cajt – time
celak – a miner at the coal face
celo – main coal face
celtna – curtain
celtveg – windlass
cicka – mine wagon or small wagon for the carriage of predominantly wooden cargo
cik – tobacco for chewing
cimer – room, bedroom
cimer, cimper – forepoling
cimper – wooden support
cimperpatija – ground support team
cimpranje – timbering
cola – measurement of length, inch
colnga – salary
colštrasna – the site where a new drift was excavated
cota – cloth
cote – garments
cug – a train which, in the coal mining industry, generally denotes an underground freight train
čelak – miner, coal-face miner
čelo – coal face
čevelj – measure of length
čik – also “čikstanga”, a type of chewing tobacco that miners chew instead of cigarettes It would be namely fatal to light a cigarette in a pit filled with flammable methane.
črna sobota – a working day for all employees
dihtati – to seal
dihtunga – seal
dioksid – carbon dioxide
diza – nozzle
drejer – turner
dritl – shift
drot – wire
drugopisan – roadheader operator
druk – thin, low-priced goods
drukati – to press
drumla – cable winding
durhcug – draught
ebe – front conveyor
fajercajg – igniter
fajhtnga – moisture
fajrant – end of the working day
fajrati – to be off-duty
fala – wood for supply
faler – length of the excavation face
falermus – wood chips
faleršus – columnar jointing
fasati – to procure
fasnga – a larger purchase
federmajster – production supervisor at the coal face
fedra – spring
fedrati – to haul a wagon up from the depths to the surface of the open-pit mine, where the gradient was too steep for a locomotive
fedre – extension for the roof beam
fedrunga – production
fentati – to destroy
ferdinst – piece-rate sheet, payroll calculation
ferlezcimer – a muster room or area where miners assembled before commencing work The mine supervisor verified the miners’ attendance in the muster room and assigned them the day’s work. Before entering the mine, the miners offered a brief prayer in the muster room, asking for a safe and successful day’s work in the mine and for a safe return.
ferlezunga – roll call, the ritual of assembly in the muster room prior to the miners’ departure for work
ferpruh – a mass of material produced by the collapse of a particular substance, for example coal in a mine
fertik – end
ferzac – gob, waste material produced during mining operations
fetna – lubricating grease
fidraje – to transport out
filar – loadout operator
filati – to load
firkant – four-sided chipped wood
firnga – bus
firšn – coal from the raise
flajž – to derail
flaša – glass bottle
floc – glass bottle
foksl – wedge
fokslporer – hand drill for wood
forat- blasted coal stockpile
forberc – start, forward
forkapa – roof beam at the section
forkverc – forward
forzinger – foreman
fosn – sawn wood (4 m)
fozekelni – thick woollen socks
fraj – off-duty
frdaman – cursed
frt – shortly, swiftly, early
fruhšiht – first (morning) shift
frzac – gob
fudlar – a worker who departs the pit prematurely
fudlati – to deceive
funšterc – miners’ dish
furati – to drive
gank – wooden gallery
gepirati – to belong
geruš – a homemade beverage composed of wormwood, spirit and water
gezenk – a dip heading or an area in a mine excavated between two levels on a downward slope.
gift – poison
gigerle – a wagon being transported by windlasses
glajs – track
glih – just now,
gliha – partition
glihtati – to equalise
gluckauf – good fortune – a miner’s greeting
gnarci – money
gnat betrib – special support for the roof in softer ground
gospodar čela – coal face supervisor
grili – cockroaches, an insult for office workers
grumpi – pork cracklings
grundris – baseline level, initial measurement
grunt – estate
grupa, partija – work team
guglo – rock burst
gumiband – conveyor belt
gurtna – rubber clamp
gvant – garment
gverk – mine
gviht – weight
hajer – a coal-face miner, a competent miner
hakl – hook
halt – stop, stand still
hangetrip – to perform all tasks manually, without the assistance of tools or machinery
hant lampa – handheld torch
hauptlauf – level
haus – multi-unit residential building
herc – miner’s or mining shovel
hinrihtati – to destroy; to kill a person
holber – extension for a level (iron or wooden)
holcar – woodworker, forestry worker
holcpitler – common wood fly
hopcug – tirfor
hundi – wagons on the track
hunt – a mine wagon or small wagon for the transport of coal
iberhang – section of an unsupported wall overhead
iberlauf – traction return
iberok – overcoat
iberžen – an excess portion of something, such as material
ibranje – overtime work
ica – fever
iti na ploh – resting during working hours
jajce – automation for submersible pumps
jamomernica – an office in which mine surveyors, known as ‘jamomerci’, drafted various maps
jamšarca, ripsavka or pušca – miner’s lamp
kafe , kofe – coffee
kajla – wedge
kamerat – comrade, colleague
kameratšaft – comradeship, solidarity
kamgarn – textile goods
kampanija – crew (working group)
Kantina – inn
kapa – helmet
kapa – upper frame, roof beam at the section
kapija – entrance to a company, for example the entrance to a coal mine
kapna – part of the pit support
kapricpoušter – decorative cushion
karma – smaller room
kasa – cash register
kašta – wood loaded in the shape of a cube
katra – wagon, tip car
kaverna – a larger unfilled area; a water chamber; ground
kelnarca – waitress
keson – vehicle unit
ketn cange – chain pliers
ketna – chain
ketncange – chain pliers
ketncug – chain traction device for lifting wagons
ketnšpaner – chain tensioner
kibl – pit latrine, a receptacle for the disposal of human faeces in a pit
kiblhajer – a worker emptying pit latrines
kislina – carbon monoxide (CO)
kišta – box containing tools
klaftra –former measure of length
klec – a small piece of wood for use as a support
klema – clamp
kleše – pliers
kljukanje na šino – commencement of service
knap – miner
knoba – pulley
koln – coal
kKolnkarta – the coal allowance that each miner received as a supplement to their wages
kolonija – mining settlement
komašli – tibia
kombajn – a machine which, in modern times, is used in coal mines to perform cutting operations; formerly its work was carried out manually by miners
komunala – team designated for remediation and cleaning
kontralok – floor arch
konzum – store
koparča/koplampa – a battery-powered lamp, the battery of which was affixed to the belt and the bulb mounted on the helmet
kracalca – a small, spoon-shaped scoop with a long handle for cleaning boreholes
krajc – slug
krajcunga – junction
krak – crack in the lignite layer
kranc – ring adjacent to the shaft
krigel – small jug
kroca – a miner’s hoe used in a coal mine primarily for collecting coal
krutca – a tool resembling a hoe, with a considerably broader working surface
kuglager – ball bearing
kupla – turbo clutch
kuplat – connect the compressed-air hoses to the hand tool
kurcšlus – short circuit
kušer – a roof beam, i.e. a steel or wooden cross-beam that holds and supports the ceiling during hand timbering
kuverta – payslip
ladati – charge with stuffing material
ladenštos – a rod used to charge with stuffing material called ‘ladnga’ into blast holes during mining operations
ladnga – a clay stemming material used in drift blasting It was used to detonate explosive charges during mining operations.
ladštuk – rod for charging boreholes with explosives
lager – bearing
lajbič – sleeveless waistcoat
lajhati – to cease
lajhte dinst – less strenuous work in the mine
lajtnga – return
lambizer – fatigue, drowsiness
lampa – a miner’s lamp, also known as a koparca or a koplampa
lamparna – area for the collection of lamps
langerca – single-chain conveyor
lata – narrow-sawn wood
latštuka – rod for charging boreholes
lauf – wooden board to the ore burden
laufar – an ore carter on the horizon
laufer – unskilled worker
lehrhajer – professional coal-face miner
lok – a component of the arch support
loznga – crack
luft – air
luftmašina – machine powered by compressed air
luftštajger – ventilating supervisor
lujtra – ladder
lukna – borehole
lutn – a wooden or metal funnel at the ore burdens
macek – shunting train
lacola – a heavy hammer for breaking larger pieces of gob or coal
magacin – warehouse
malovje – vegetables
mansfort – personnel compartment (shaft)
manteks (šlauf) – pipe for compressed air
mantl – coat
marijahergeben, marijatrošt – a term that is still used colloquially in some places to this day and denotes the day on which workers receive their wages
markica – the miner’s control, personal number
markšajder – mine surveyor
mašenist – machinist
mašinca – device for tightening and loosening nuts
mašinhauz – engine room
mauha – bag
merkati – to take care; colloquially also ‘ahtati’
mišunga – mixture
mitler – round spruce wood
mitnemer – crossbar on the conveyor
mulda- dyke
municija – explosive material
mus – to be required to
nahkasl – bedside cabinet
nahlas – loosening
nahris – top coal caving
nahšiht – third (night) shift
najga – extremity, to be at an end
niša – extension of a roadway
nohrajsati – to increase (exploratory headings to standard 3 x 3 coal faces)
novinec – young miner, novice
nucati – to require, to need, to make use of something
nudlni – clay plugs (stemming)
numare – drifts into the uncharted
numera – number at the face
obergutman – manager
oblavtanje – tapping on the cave ceiling
obles – employee from the previous shift
obrajtati – to respect, to value
obzorje – extraction height
olm – front wall
omladinka – shovel
opava – classic acquisition (‘classic’)
opavokelj – a hook on a long shaft for the hauling of larger pieces of coal
orng – okay
ort – underground coal face
pajsštanga – actuating rod
pajštva – a wooden cottage without a chimney
pan, pon – track
partija – department, group, company
patruni – explosive material in packaging
paver – farmer
pejt – go
pek – a pickaxe with both ends sharpened
pelegar – rod for tapping the cave ceiling
pelegunga – schedule
pen – landing, an intermediate platform in a shaft
penez – money
penzija – the term is still frequently used today in colloquial speech and denotes a pension: the payment received by a retired employee
perfleks – hat
perh – gob
perkmandelc – cave gnome (Trbovlje)
pes – a small hydraulic excavator at a face
pešnga – ground onto which coal was dislodged from the roof at the coal faces
pig mašina – device for bending and curving railway tracks in coal-mine drifts
pikas – shovel of a heart-shaped design
piker – impact hammer
pikr/pikl – a hammer with a characteristically flat face on one side and a pointed tip on the opposite side
pin – socket for a pit prop
pinga – collapsed formation
pinštanga – pipe for cleaning the pit prop bed
pir – beer
platanci – billets (material with which the interior of the shaft is lined)
platl – flap
plaumohar – unauthorised absence from work
plav (šiht) – unauthorised absence from work
plecati – to wedge
pleh muzka – Miners’ Band
plehnat – made of sheet metal
po(filat) – subject to top coal caving, to dig
pob – young man
pocn – wooden base
podgane – insult for coal miners
podn – ground
pofilati – to remove or load coal or any other material using a shovel
polaman – broken
polcati – to support
policaj – mine deputy (supervisor)
pon – track for vehicle units
pon kleše – novices know what it is
ponleger – railway track layer
ponucati – to consume
porajklat – to connect
porer – hand-held drilling machine
pormašina – drilling machine
povratna (proga) – haulage roadway
pozajbrat – to remove by pulling, to capture, to scoop up with a spade
pr fidernast – miners engaged in haulage operations
prehati – to shatter
premz, bremz – a blind roadway constructed upwards or downwards
prezivnica – assembly point for miners prior to entering the mine
prkuplat – to connect
prlegnga, pelegan – duty, in charge of
proga – gallery
pruh– quarry
prvopisan – Head of the Working Group
puč – A small barrel for water in the pit
puda – pit office
puhar – heavy hammer, sledgehammer
puk – spoil tip
pukl – back
puklež – a remnant of wood from ‘cimpranje’, that is, the reinforcement of drifts with props, which miners were able to take home
pumpa – pump
purati – to drill
purfl – gunpowder
purfl magacin – explosive storage facility
purš – an unmarried miner, also an unmarried man
pušlšank – serving of beverages
racuta – tip-out platform above the silo
rajda – curve
rajklat – to secure
fampa – barrier
raub – dismantling of the separate support
raubaje, ropanje – dismantling of the separate support
raufank – chimney
razfajfati – to become agitated
rdeča sobota – working day for specified persons
rejštuga – pry bar
reklc – jacket
rekštenda – burnt residues from the smelter
remont – repair
repičnica – mining lamp fuelled by rapeseed oil
revir – mining area
rigl – a circular wooden column or roof beam that rests upon a support
riglbet – area in the pit in front of the shaft
rihtati – to take care of
rihtnga – guidance, instructions
rikverc – driving in reverse
rina – conveyor trough
rinka – ring
robotati – to work
ror – pipe
rorcange – pipe pliers
rulne – dip headings that interconnect the various levels
senkl – blind shaft
separacija – device (plant) for the washing and separation of coal
sipka or šutl – a shaft that connects a level; some are constructed with a lower horizon
skat – rubber conveyor
skip – containers for hoisting coal on the surface
smrtna ura – board with numbered tiles
sol – explosives for rock blasting
sprifan – skilful
spucati – to clean
šahlc – service shaft
šaht – mine (coal mine)
šaht – vertical frontal mine shaft
šajba – level
šajder – partition wall within the shaft
šala – lift for the transport of persons
šalter – salary disbursement window
šalterist – switch operator
šank – serving counter
šarf – suspended diesel locomotive
šeht – service
šehtnbuha – employment record
šiht – wage
šihtmajster – Pit Manager
šilštva – muster room
šimfati – to defame
šina – one element of the suspended rail (track)
šinegl – rail for securing a railway rail to a wood sleeper
škroplenje – the falling of small fragments of coal from the ceiling
šlager kišta – a crate containing explosives
šlauf – pipe
šlem – safety helmet
šlemlajtnga – pipeline for ash slurry
šlemunga – filling of the drift with sand and ash
šlenger – heavy hammer
šloser – locksmith, machinist
šmir – machine lubricant
šmir žajfa – soap for hand washing
šnepanje – secondary mining
šnoftobak – snuff tobacco
šnops – distilled spirits
šnuf – snuff tobacco
šoht – shaft
šolni – flat shoes
šoranje – grooving
šorovka – mining axe used for grooving
španano – arduous work; a rapid pace of work
špic cange – pliers for compressing retaining rings
špica – a shorter or longer rod with a chisel-shaped tip (it was used for drilling boreholes, as a drill bit)
špira – crack
špirovka – a characteristic mining tool fitted with two metal prongs, used by miners for erecting wood supports within a mine
špital – hospital
šplintna – safety clip
šporhert – cooker
špricanca – coal particles
šprudel – a short piece of wood or a slug for filling openings in the formwork
špukati – to spit
špuktrigl – spittoon
špura – trace
šrauf – screw
šraufciger – screwdriver
šremar – a tool for notching a groove in a coal seam; the cutting-out and shaping of the roadway in the coal is referred to as ‘šremanje’
šremati – to punch
šremer – punching tool
šrit – coral
štajger – supervisor
štajnkolm – black coal
štandrat – standard
štanga – rod
štaub – dust
štefan – two-litre bottle
štemajzl – iron wedge, carving chisel
štemati – to chisel, to force one’s way through
štempl – prop or support in the drift
številka – development work site
štirc – area for the emptying of wagons containing gob the overturning of wagons in order to cause the coal to be shaken from them is referred to as ‘štircanje’
štircpen – chute platform
štokerl – a small backless stool resembling a low bench, intended for light tasks or short periods of rest
štolm – pit tunnel
štos fedra – plumes on the caps of former miners’ uniforms
štos – section, directional junction at the coal face, contact between two rails
štos hajer – worker at a signposted junction
štraf – punishment
štraf partija – punished group
štrajk -strike
štrekna – development roadway
štricati – to compare oneself
štromar – electrician
štrosni – coal faces measuring 3 × 3
štuc –blind section at the coal face, shorter blind roadway
štuher – heavier punching tool, pickaxe
štuk – a lump of coal or a larger piece of coal
štukati – to insert, to add
štuln – drift
šturca – chuting (of material)
šturcpen – chute platform
šuhfeca – sock (a piece of fabric)
šuhi -high-heeled shoes
šurti – to form a groove
šus – shot, detonation at the face
šus drot, šusman – cord for concreting, marksman
šusdrot – detonator wire
šusman – marksman
šuta – crushed material
švarati se – to lodge a complaint
švic – perspiration
švicati – to perspire
ta šahtni – shaft maintenance personnel
tabrh, tavrh – day labour, the performance of work on other people’s fields in return for payment
tagmašen – improved, festive
tahanircajg – every newcomer becomes acquainted with the ‘boredom-inducing tool’
tahinirati – to shirk one’s duties, to be indolent
tajfl – “vrag” – devil
tavarši – colleagues, co-workers
tesarba- powered supports
tišler – cabinetmaker
tošelj – handbag
toukac, toukec – cider
trajbati – to exhort
trajh – material compartment (shaft)
transporter – belt conveyor at the coal face
treger – support
triglc – tools used for loading coal into wagons
trugar in tratar – repair technician for ladders and wagons
trugca – Hungarian wagon
ubajtat pinih – a nest in the ceiling and the floor
ukvelati – to spread apart
ulm – roadway side
untercug – round wood sawn on two sides.
unterhunt – very poor (terrible)
urt – worksite
urta – coal mining crew
urž – coal face
ušpirat – to resist
vaserlajtnga – water supply
vaserpinč – means of conveying potable water into the pit
vaservaga – spirit level
vašhau – bathroom for miners
vetertir – ventilation doors
vinkl – angle, right angle
vinta – skimmer
visinke – gas meter
zadihtati – to seal
zajbrati – to sweep the collected coal into a pile; in this context, a mine worker using a shovel is referred to as a ‘zajbrovc’
zajc – an ordinary wooden shoehorn
zajla – steel wire rope
založit čik – insertion of chewing tobacco into the mouth
zaplecati – to wedge
zapurati – return
zastavlati – to fill manually using a shovel
zastavlavci – miners and backfillers
zašorati – to scratch
zašpirat – to support
zašremati – to punch
zazihrati – to secure
zenkl – positioned in the direction of
zenklanje – alignment of directions
zicleder – sustained sitting
ziher – certainly
ziherca – petrol-fuelled safety lamp miners ascertained the presence of methane in the mine by the height of the lamp’s flame
zmatran – fatigued,
znucan – worn
zoc – barley coffee
zokni – socks
zolika – adit
zolna – base of the borehole, ground
zumf – wetland, water reservoir
zvanar – signaller on the surface
žajbnavc – roadway cleaner
žajfa – soap
žemper – jumper
žlahta – kinship
žlota – ventilation pipe
žnuta – ignition cord
Compiled by: Stojan Špegel (initiator), Darja Smrečnik and Matej Gorišek
Based on a paper by Blaž Repenšek