brick

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
brick/brɪk/

▶noun

• 1 a small rectangular block of fired or sun-dried clay, used in building.

  ■ bricks collectively as a building material.

• 2 Brit. informal, dated a generous, helpful, and reliable person.

▶verb block or enclose with a wall of bricks.

– phrases
bricks and mortar

• 1 buildings, especially housing.

• 2 [as modifier] denoting a business that operates conventionally rather than (or as well as) via the Internet.

like a ton of bricks informal with crushing weight, force, or authority.

– origin ME: from Mid. Low Ger., MDu. bricke, brike; prob. reinforced by OFr. brique; of unknown ultimate origin.