subs. (common).—A good fellow; a staunch and loyal man: said to be of university origin, the simile being drawn from Aristotle (Eth. i. 10) τετράγωνος.
1837. R. H. BARHAM, The Ingoldsby Legends (The Brothers of Birchington).
| In brief I don’t stick To declare, Father Dick— | |
| So they call’d him ‘for short,’—was a Regular BRICK,’ | |
| A metaphor taken,—I have not the page aright— | |
| Out of an ethical work by the Stagyrite. |
1849. BULWER-LYTTON, The Caxtons, XI, v. ‘I may say,’ continued Mr. Peacock emphatically, ‘that he was a regular trump—trump!’ he reiterated with a start, as if the word had stung him—‘trump! he was a BRICK.’
1850. F. E. SMEDLEY, Frank Fairlegh, 10. ‘Mr. Fairlegh, let me introduce this gentleman, Mr. George Lawless; he is, if he will allow me to say so, one of the most rising young men of his generation, one of the firmest props of the glorious edifice of our rights and privileges.’ ‘A regular BRICK,’ interposed Coleman.
1855. THACKERAY, The Newcomes, x. But the others are capital. There is that little chap who has just had the measles—he’s a dear little BRICK.
1856. T. HUGHES, Tom Brown’s School-days, I. vi. 100. He voted E.’s new crony a BRICK.
1857. C. KINGSLEY, Two Years Ago, xvii. Never mind me, but mind yourself, and mind that curate; he is a noble BRICK.
1876. G. ELIOT, Daniel Deronda, xvi. Their brothers’ friend, declared by Hans to be the salvation of him, a fellow like nobody else, and, in fine, a BRICK.
1878. Hallberger’s Illustrated Magazine, 635. The expression is logically deduced in the following amusing manner. A brick is ‘deep-red,’ so a ‘deep-read’ man is a BRICK. The syllogism may be carried further. To read like a BRICK is to read till you are deep-’read’; a deep-read man is in University-phrase a ‘good man’; a good man is a jolly fellow with non-reading men, ergo a jolly fellow is a BRICK.
1891. LEHMANN, Harry Fludyer at Cambridge. 16. She’s a real BRICK about letters.
Verb (American).—To bring a man’s knees close up to the chin, and lash the arms tightly to the knees—a species of trussing.
LIKE A BRICK (BRICKS, or a THOUSAND OF BRICKS), adv. phr. (common).—With energy; alacrity; thoroughly; vehemently and with much display: cf. subs. and see LIKE.
1835. DICKENS, Sketches by Boz, 139. Bump they [cab and horse] cums agin the post, and out flies the fare LIKE BRICKS.
1837. R. H. BARHAM, The Ingoldsby Legends (The Ingoldsby Penance).
| In vain,—for the Friar to his skirts closely sticks, | |
| ‘Running after him,’—so said the Abbot,—‘LIKE BRICKS!’ |
1847. ROBB, Streaks of Squatter Life, 37. He lit upon the upper town and its member ‘LIKE A THOUSAND OF BRICK!’
1860. New Orleans Picayune, April 27 (Police Report). He fell upon us LIKE A THOUSAND OF BRICKS, and threatened to make minced meat of the police and every one of us.
1864. Western World, March 5. When Mr. Nye had finished, Mr. Stewart rose, and with his irresistible logic and impressive language came down upon him LIKE A THOUSAND OF BRICKS, till he was utterly crushed and demolished.
A BRICK IN THE HAT, phr. (American).—Drunk; top-heavy: see SCREWED.
