fairy of the mine
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
A malevolent gnome (#.v.) supposed to live in mines, busying itself with cutting ore, turning the windlass, etc., but effecting nothing.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “fairy of the mine” mean?
A malevolent gnome (#.v.) supposed to live in mines, busying itself with cutting ore, turning the windlass, etc., but effecting nothing.
Is “fairy of the mine” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.