steam shovelling

Verb

steam shovel (third-person singular simple present steam shovels, present participle (US) steam shoveling or (UK) steam shovelling, simple past and past participle (US) steam shoveled or (UK) steam shovelled)

1. (also, figuratively, transitive) To excavate (a place, or something from a place) using a steam shovel.
   • At Lahontan the teams were engaged on the earthwork of the dike with the adjoining Lahontan Beach canal south of the dam. Paving of the up-stream slope of the dam was carried out by night shift in steam shoveling rock at the quarry and delivering by cars and cableway to the dam, where paving was...1914 February, “Construction Work, January”, in Reclamation Record, volume 5, number 2, Washington, D.C.: U.S. Reclamation Service, →OCLC, page 66, column 2
2. (also, figuratively, intransitive) To operate a steam shovel.
   • I have never had any experience with steam shoveling.[1876 September 28, C. C. Martin (witness), “[Proceedings before the City Court of Brooklyn, Kings County, New York]”, in N.Y. Court of Appeals: William C. Kingsley & Abner C. Keeney, Appellants...

See all 4 meanings of steam shovel