chimney breast

American  

noun

1. a part of a chimney or fireplace that projects out from the wall, usually inside the building.

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chimney breast British  

noun

1. the wall or walls that surround the base of a chimney or fireplace

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Etymology

Origin of chimney breast

First recorded in 1835–45

Example Sentences

A couple have tracked down relatives of a man after finding his birth certificate - dating from the 1800s - in a chimney breast.

From BBC

When the producers called me, I was on a rooftop, doing some lead flashing around a chimney breast.

From The Guardian

Staff at The Venue said a neighbouring building's chimney breast had collapsed and fallen onto the roof, causing it to cave in.

From BBC

The color was introduced in the living room, on the shelves alongside the chimney breast, and was continued into the hall, on the baseboards and the door frames.

From The New Yorker

Her latest compositions, which flank the chimney breast, are made from mustard, kohl and vivid blue blocks of wood — some still complete with protruding nails — salvaged from the upper reaches of the beach.

From New York Times