brickbat

English

Etymology

brick +‎ bat. See bat (“part of a brick with one whole end”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈbɹɪk.bæt/

Noun

brickbat (plural brickbats)

1. A piece of brick used as a weapon, especially if thrown, or placed in something like a sock and used as a club.
   • 1960, P. G. Wodehouse, Jeeves in the Offing, chapter III:

     No doubt he, like me, had been buoying himself up for years with the thought that we should never meet again and that, whatever brickbats life might have in store for him, he had at least got Bertram out of his system. A nasty jar it must have been for the poor bloke having me suddenly pop up from a trap like this.

2. A criticism or uncomplimentary remark.
   • 1843, Thomas Carlyle, Past and Present, book 4, chapter VIII, The Didactic

     Not honoured, hardly even envied; only fools and the flunkey-species so much as envy me. I am conspicuous, — as a mark for curses and brickbats. What good is it?

Derived terms

• bouquets and brickbats

Translations

criticism

• Finnish: risu (fi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

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Old French

Etymology

From English brickbat (“a piece of brick used as a weapon”), from brick +‎ bat (“a part of a brick with one whole end”).

Noun

brickbat oblique singular, ? (oblique plural brickbaz or brickbatz, nominative singular brickbat, nominative plural brickbaz or brickbatz)

1. (England) brickbat
   • 1688, George Treby, Dyer's Reports, 1688 edition, volume 188b:

     Richardson, ch. Just, de C. Bane, al Assises at Salisbury in Summer 1631. fuit assault per prisoner la condemne pur felony que puis son condemnation ject un Brickbat a le dit Justice que narrowly mist, & pur ceo immediately fuit indictment drawn per Noy envers le prisoner, & son dexter manus ampute & fix al Gibbet sur que luy mesme immediatment hange in presence de Court.

     Richardson, Chief Justice of the Common Bench at the Assizes at Salisbury in Summer 1631 was assaulted by a prisoner there condemned for felony, who, following his condemnation, threw a brickbat at the said justice that narrowly missed, and for this, an indictment was immediately drawn by Noy against the prisoner and his right hand was cut off and fastened to the gibbet, on which he himself was immediately hanged in the presence of the Court.