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What is a "brick"?
A brick is a small, rectangular block made from clay, concrete, or other materials, which is hardened by baking or firing. It is commonly used in construction for building walls, pavements, and other structures due to its strength, durability, and ability to retain heat. Bricks are often stacked and held together with mortar to create strong, long-lasting surfaces. They are valued for their natural appearance, ease of maintenance, and ability to withstand weather conditions.
a dependable and trustworthy person, often helpful to others
to render a device completely unusable, often due to bad updates, mods, or failed hacks
What does "to brick" mean in tech slang?
This term originated in the early 2000s within hardware modding and smartphone hacking communities, particularly among users who attempted to jailbreak iPhones or flash custom ROMs on Android devices. It is used as a verb meaning to render a device completely unusable, often due to bad updates, mods, or failed hacks — turning the device into a functional equivalent of a brick. The structure is a metaphorical verb formed from the noun "brick," comparing the useless device to a simple block of material with no electronic function.
(New York) extremely cold or freezing, usually describing the weather
What does "brick" mean in New York slang?
The structure is a simple adjective borrowed from the literal hardness and coldness of a brick, repurposed to describe frigid weather. It is used in New York and parts of the East Coast to describe extremely cold or freezing temperatures, often in winter when the wind makes it feel unbearable. People typically say "It's brick outside" or "Brick city today" when complaining about the cold.
