Plural of flue; ducts or pipes that carry smoke, gas, or hot air away from a fireplace, stove, furnace, or other heating appliance to the outside.
From Middle English and Old English 'flue,' possibly related to 'flow.' The word has been used since medieval times to describe chimneys and smoke ducts.
Before modern flues were standardized, houses with multiple fireplaces had tangled networks of flues inside their walls—sometimes they'd clog with soot and catch fire, leading to the invention of the chimney sweep profession!
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