English

Noun

coal cracker ‎(plural coal crackers)

1. (US, slang) A native or established resident of the traditional coal-mining area of northeastern Pennsylvania; a worker in the mines of this region.
   • 1998 October, "Top Ten Lists: Pizza Parlors," CoalRegion.com (retrieved 29 Oct 2016):

     Our first coal region poll, and what a great one it was! Coal Crackers sure do love their pizza.

   • 2008, Gene Gomolka, Coal Cracker's Son, ISBN 9781462826438, Back cover (Google books):

     Pawel Gobol is Joey's humble father, a coal cracker who worked in the mines since he was 15.

   • 2016 March 20, Mark Gilger Jr., "Revelers celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, Irish history at Girardville parade," The Republican-Herald (Pennsylvania, US) (retrieved 29 Oct 2016):

     Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. Mike Stack . . . said his grandfather was a “coal cracker from Girardville.”

Usage notes

• Often used with the connotation that the person so designated comes from a modest, blue-collar background.