gold brick

English

Noun

gold brick (plural gold bricks)

1. Alternative form of goldbrick
   • 1986, Philander C. Johnson, Senator Sorghum's Primer of Politics, page 20:

     WHEN YOU do business with a man who is willing to sell himself, you musn't be surprised if you find that you have bought a gold brick.

   • 2002, Nancy Bruce, Grinning from Ear to Ear, page 47:

     In addition, that place became a haven for some of our drunks and gold bricks.

   • 2013, Anthony J. DiFiore, Papa Remembers, page 45:

     The funny thing is I never met a gold brick on the ship.

   • 2014, George W. Neill, Infantry Soldier: Holding the Lines at the Battle of the Bulge:

     In their minds, he was the ultimate “gold brick” and“smart ass”—and they were right.

   • 2015, Joseph Lewis French, The Best Psychic Stories: Famous People:

     How do we know that the avouching unknown could not have been sold a gold brick?

Verb

gold brick (third-person singular simple present gold bricks, present participle gold bricking, simple past and past participle gold bricked)

1. Alternative form of goldbrick
   • 1931, Fur Trade Journal of Canada - Volumes 9-11, page 22:

     Stupid, ignorant, unsuspicious, trusting, it did not take long for this suave promoter to "gold brick" the poor widow of her little insurance money and the little savings of years.

   • 2005, Thomas Larson, The Vagabonds: Escape From Europe In 1939, page 248:

     Oh yes, I got plenty of good exercise all morning so decided to gold brick in the afternoon.

   • 2007, Larry Groves, Seasons in Time, page 111:

     Tina Marie tried to gold brick her way out of going to school, complaining of a sore throat, but Mom wasn't falling for it.