brick

Etymology

From late Middle English brik, bryke, bricke, from Middle Low German and Middle Dutch bricke ("cracked or broken brick; tile-stone"; modern Dutch brik), ultimately related to Proto-West Germanic *brekan (“to break”), whence also Old French briche and French brique (“brick”). Compare also German Low German Brickje (“small board, tray”). Related to break.

noun

1. (countable) A hardened rectangular block of mud, clay etc., used for building.
   This wall is made of bricks.
2. (uncountable) Such hardened mud, clay, etc. considered collectively, as a building material.
   This house is made of brick.
3. (countable) Something shaped like a brick.
   a plastic explosive brick
   The handyman considered the question and I knew she had a brick of ground beans in her bag but was considering whether the beds and a hot drink was worth a brick of coffee. 2011, Seth Kenlon, Revolution Radio, page 70
   He disentangled himself from the safe door and delved inside. He brought out a brick of banknotes. 2012, Kevin Sampson, Powder, page 34
   A few times, when I got tired of my whisky highs and tobacco fumes, I turned to my new little helper, the tiny brick of cannabis resin I got from Don. 2021, Stan Erisman, A Sea of Troubles, page 31
4. (slang, dated) A helpful and reliable person.
   Thanks for helping me wash the car. You're a brick.
   “It's easy to see you're a brick!” replied Lady Augusta, and the laugh again became general. 1863, Elizabeth Caroline Grey, Good Society; Or, Contrasts of Character, page 72
   Theobald's mind worked in this way: "Now, I know Ernest has told this boy what a disagreeable person I am, and I will just show him that I am not disagreeable at all, but a good old fellow, a jolly old boy, in fact a regular old brick, and that it is Ernest who is in fault all through." 1903, Samuel Butler, chapter 48, in The Way of All Flesh
   ‘Somebody had to stay with you,’ said Bobbie. ‘Tell you what, Bobbie,’ said Jim, ‘you’re a brick. Shake.’ 1906, Edith Nesbit, The Railway Children, page 168
   “Well, I’ll do what I can for you,” said the seaman, …“If you were only shorter, I'd lend you some clothes.” “You're a brick,” said the soldier gratefully. 1960, W.W. Jacobs, Cargoes, page 45
5. (basketball, slang) A shot which misses, particularly one which bounces directly out of the basket because of a too-flat trajectory, as if the ball were a heavier object.
   We can't win if we keep throwing up bricks from three-point land.
6. (informal) A power brick; an external power supply consisting of a small box with an integral male power plug and an attached electric cord terminating in another power plug.
7. (computing slang, figurative) An electronic device, especially a heavy box-shaped one, that has become non-functional or obsolete.
8. (UK, naval, slang) A projectile.
   I was on deck watching the firing, and looking at the direction in which our guns were pointing, it was obvious that it was not going to be Centurion who was going to receive our bricks. 2019, Daniel Knowles, HMS Hood: Pride of the Royal Navy
9. (firearms) A carton of 500 rimfire cartridges, which forms the approximate size and shape of a brick.
10. (poker slang) A community card (usually the turn or the river) which does not improve a player's hand.
    The two of clubs was a complete brick on the river.
11. The colour brick red.
    brick:
12. (slang) A kilogram of cocaine.
    I can sell bricks, I don't need to rap Buj so peng it makes the fiends collapse Cook that coca into crack I was selling Zs while you was in your bed 2013, Snap Capone (lyrics and music), “Lights Out”, in The Memoir, from 0:16

adj

1. (colloquial, African-American Vernacular, New York, New England, of weather) Extremely cold.
   And while the tropics are definitely the place to be when it's brick outside, rocking a snorkel on the beach only works when you're snorkeling. 2005, Vibe, volume 12, number 14, page 102
   He was always hanging tight with me and since he had access to a ride . . . it made traveling easier. I mean it was no biggie brain buster to take the train, but when it's brick outside . . . fuck the A train. 2014, Ray Mack, Underestimated: A Searcher's Story, page 89
   Read on for tips so you don't freeze your ass off when it's brick outside. January 18, 2017, Anthony J. Yeung, “Running During Winter Sucks. But It Doesn't Have To.”, in Esquire
   "It's brick cold. Could you imagine stepping on this with your bare foot?" Taylor said. January 4, 2018, Melissa Hipolit, “HUD: Creighton Court residents without heat being relocated”, in CBS 6 TV

verb

1. (transitive) To build, line, or form with bricks.
   If the ground is strong right up to the surface, a few yards are usually sunk and bricked before the engines and pit top are erected 1904, Thomas Hansom Cockin, An Elementary Class-Book of Practical Coal-Mining, C. Lockwood and Son, page 78
   The shaft was next bricked between the decks until the top scaffold was supported by the brickwork and [made] to share the weight with the prids. 1914, The Mining Engineer, Institution of Mining Engineers, page 349
   He came in and we went out to the back area I'd bricked amateurishly years ago. 2010, Peter Corris, Torn Apart, Allen and Unwin, page 18
2. (transitive) To make into bricks.
   The plant, which is here described, for bricking fine ores and flue dust, was designed and the plans produced in the engineering department of the Selby smelter. 1904 September 15, James C. Bennett, Walter Renton Ingalls (editor), Lead Smelting and Refining with Some Notes on Lead Mining (1906), The Engineering and Mining Journal, page 66
3. (transitive, slang) To hit someone or something with a brick.
4. (transitive, computing slang) To make an electronic device nonfunctional and usually beyond repair, essentially making it no more useful than a brick.
   My VCR was bricked during the lightning storm.
   Just need to project against users from deleting NK.BIN and bricking the device. 2002-10-15, Mike Leeson, “How to write protect nk.bin”, in microsoft.public.windowsce.platbuilder (Usenet), retrieved 2016-02-25, message-ID <OHm5#hLdCHA.2592@tkmsftngp09>
   installing third-party firmware will void your warranty, and it is possible that you may brick your router. December 14 2007, Joe Barr, “PacketProtector turns SOHO router into security powerhouse”, in Linux.com
   Google owner Alphabet’s subsidiary Nest is closing a smart-home company it bought less than two years ago, leaving customers’ devices useless as of May. […] The company declined to share how many customers would be left with bricked devices as a result of the shutdown. 2016, Alex Hern, “Revolv devices bricked as Google's Nest shuts down smart home company”, in The Guardian
5. (intransitive, slang) To blunder; to screw up.