brick

brick
—bricklike, brickish, adj.
/brik/, n.
1. a block of clay hardened by drying in the sun or burning in a kiln, and used for building, paving, etc.: traditionally, in the U.S., a rectangle 21/4 × 33/4 × 8 in. (5.7 × 9.5 × 20.3 cm), red, brown, or yellow in color.
2. such blocks collectively.
3. the material of which such blocks are made.
4. any block or bar having a similar size and shape: a gold brick; an ice-cream brick.
5. the length of a brick as a measure of thickness, as of a wall: one and a half bricks thick.
6. Informal. an admirably good or generous person.
7. drop a brick, to make a social gaffe or blunder, esp. an indiscreet remark.
8. hit the bricks,
a. to walk the streets, esp. as an unemployed or homeless person.
b. to go on strike: With contract talks stalled, workers are threatening to hit the bricks. Also, take to the bricks.
9. make bricks without straw,
a. to plan or act on a false premise or unrealistic basis.
b. to create something that will not last: To form governments without the consent of the people is to make bricks without straw.
c. to perform a task despite the lack of necessary materials.
v.t.
10. to pave, line, wall, fill, or build with brick.
adj.
11. made of, constructed with, or resembling bricks.
[1400-50; late ME brike < MD bricke; akin to BREAK]

* * *

Small building unit in the form of a rectangular block, first produced in a sun-dried form at least 6,000 years ago.

Clay, the basic ingredient, is mined from open pits, formed, and then fired in a kiln to produce strength, hardness, and heat resistance. Brick was the chief building material in the ancient Near East. Its versatility was expanded in ancient Rome by improvements in manufacture and by new techniques of bonding. Brick came to be widely used in Western Europe for the protection it offered against fire. See also masonry, mortar.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • brick — brick …   Dictionnaire des rimes

  • BRICK — Apparu après 1750, le brick est un petit navire de guerre à voile, son importance étant désignée par le nombre de bouches à feu: brick de douze, de dix huit canons... Gréé en voiles latines sur deux mâts, il peut devenir un voilier très fin, le… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Brick — (br[i^]k), n. [OE. brik, F. brique; of Ger. origin; cf. AS. brice a breaking, fragment, Prov. E. brique piece, brique de pain, equiv. to AS. hl[=a]fes brice, fr. the root of E. break. See {Break}.] 1. A block or clay tempered with water, sand,… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • BRICK —    Brick is a form of man made masonry that can be layered to enclose a space or held together with a mortar binder to create a structural support. Brick is made of a mixture of clay and sand, while the mortar is made of sand and a paste. The… …   Historical Dictionary of Architecture

  • Brick — bezeichnet: Brick (Film), US amerikanischer Thriller aus dem Jahr 2005 Brick (Band), US amerikanische Funk Jazz Band Brick ist der Familienname folgender Personen: Abraham L. Brick (1860–1908), US amerikanischer Politiker Martin Brick (* 1939),… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • BRICK — Cette page d’homonymie répertorie les différents sujets et articles partageant un même nom.  Pour les articles homophones, voir brik, brique et BRIC. Un brick est un type de bateau. Brick est un film de Rian Johnson sorti en …   Wikipédia en Français

  • brick — [brik] n. [ME brike < MDu < breken, BREAK (in sense “piece of baked clay”) & MFr brique < OFr, of same orig.] 1. a substance made from clay molded into oblong blocks and fired in a kiln or baked in the sun, used in building, paving, etc …   English World dictionary

  • brick — brick; brick·field·er; brick·ie; brick·le; brick·low; gold·brick; brick·ly; …   English syllables

  • Brick — Brick, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Bricked}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Bricking}.] 1. To lay or pave with bricks; to surround, line, or construct with bricks. [1913 Webster] 2. To imitate or counterfeit a brick wall on, as by smearing plaster with red ocher,… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • brick|en — «BRIHK uhn», adjective. made of brick …   Useful english dictionary

  • brick|y — «BRIHK ee», adjective. 1. like brick in shape or color. 2. consisting or made of bricks …   Useful english dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”