Mining Glossary

noun a hole or tunnel dug by a small animal, especially a rabbit, as a dwelling

verb to dig a hole or tunnel into or through something

• The rabbit dug a deep burrow in the ground to create a safe shelter.
• The fox found a cozy burrow to hide from the rain.
• Let's burrow into that new restaurant downtown for lunch today.
• She tends to burrow into books whenever she's feeling stressed.

noun a cultivated plant that is grown as food, especially a grain, fruit, or vegetable

verb to cut or trim something out of a photograph or image

• When editing a photo, you can easily crop out any unwanted elements.
• Just crop out that person from the picture, they're ruining the shot.
• I'm going to crop out all the haters from my life.
• It's important to crop out negative thoughts and focus on the positive.

noun the action of crushing something

verb press or squeeze with a force that destroys or deforms

adjective causing great emotional or physical pain

• The crushing weight of the economic recession has impacted businesses across the country.
• I can't believe how crushing that defeat was for our team.
• Her breakup was absolutely crushing, I feel so bad for her.
• The news of his betrayal was like a crushing blow to her trust in him.

noun a small piece or portion of something

• The archaeologist discovered a golden nugget buried deep underground.
• I found a nugget of information that might help us solve the case.
• That new restaurant serves up some tasty chicken nuggets.
• Her advice was a valuable nugget of wisdom that I will always remember.

noun a long, narrow part or section forming the handle of a tool or the body of a spear or arrow

verb to push or hit something with a long, narrow object

• The mechanical engineer designed a new shaft for the industrial machine.
• Make sure you oil the shaft on the garage door so it doesn't squeak.
• I can't believe he got shafted out of his promotion again.
• She felt like she was at the bottom of a deep shaft with no way out.

noun a diagonal cut across the grain of a piece of wood

verb to cut something with a diagonal motion

• The carpenter used a crosscut saw to make precise cuts in the wood.
• I saw the lumberjack crosscutting through the tree with ease.
• Let's crosscut this project and get it done quickly.
• She had to crosscut through the red tape to get her project approved.