brick

Universal Words noun, verb noun 1 [C,U] baked clay used for building walls, houses and other buildings; an individual block of this: The school is built of brick. * a pile of bricks * a brick wall seealsoRED-BRICK 2 [C] a plastic or wooden block, used as a toy for young children to build things with 3 [C,usually sing.] (old-fashioned, BrE, informal) a friend that you can rely on when you need help: Thanks for looking after the children today - you're a real brick. IDIOMS be up against a brick wall to be unable to make any progress because there is a difficulty that stops you bricks and mortar a building, when you are thinking of it in connection with how much it cost to build or how much it is worth: A home isn't just bricks and mortar. * The new college will cost about ｣37 million in bricks and mortar. make bricks without straw (BrE) to try to work without the necessary material, money, information, etc. moreatCATn., DROPv., HEADn., TONn. verb PHRASALVERBS brick sth<->in / up to fill an opening in a wall with bricks: The windows had been bricked up.