Charlie Noble

plural Charlie Nobles · alternative Charley Noble

1. slanggovernmentA funnel for discharging smoke from the galley.

   Charlie Nobles should be fitted with cowls which will automatically turn to leeward and thereby force the draught. A Charlie Noble should be demountable and the hole through the cabin roof should be covered by a strong, tight-fitting lid.

   1945, Harold Augustin Calahan, Learning to Cruise, page 120

   1 more example

   One of the last customs that passed from the decks of the modern navy was the “shooting of Charlie Noble.” The chimney or galley-stack of the ship's kitchen was dignified by the name of Charlie Noble, and when the galley-stack became clogged with soot the ship's cook fired a blank cartridge up it, loosening the soot.

   1917, Orton Porter Jackson, Frank Edgar Evans, The Marvel Book of American Ships, page 357