Alright, so you wanna know about this “brick” thing, huh? It ain’t about buildin’ no houses, that’s for sure. It’s about when it’s colder than a well digger’s butt in January, you hear? Like, real cold.
I heard some city folks sayin’ it, specially them New Yorkers. They say “It’s brick outside!” Means you better put on everythin’ you own, plus maybe steal a blanket from the neighbor’s clothesline, ’cause it’s gonna be a bitter one.
Now, I ain’t no fancy dictionary, but from what I gather, this “brick” word for cold started showin’ up ’round the 1990s. Maybe them city slickers got tired of sayin’ just plain “cold,” needed somethin’… well, somethin’ more solid, I guess. Like a brick, you know? Hard and cold and ain’t nothin’ gettin’ through it.
- It ain’t for sissies, this brick cold.
- It’s the kind of cold that makes your bones ache.
- The kind that makes the cows huddle together tighter than peas in a pod.
They say it mostly just talks about the weather, the temperature outside. You wouldn’t say your lemonade is “brick,” unless maybe you left it out all night in January and it froze solid. Then, yeah, I guess you could say it’s brick-cold. But mostly it’s about that outside cold, the kind that bites at your nose and makes your fingers go numb.
I heard tell it spread around durin’ the 80s and 90s, people movin’ around and talkin’ to each other. Words are like that, they travel faster than a gossip in a small town. One person says it, then another, and pretty soon everybody’s sayin’ it’s “brick” outside.
Now, some folks might use “brick” in other ways, I hear. They might say somebody is “thick as a brick,” meanin’ they ain’t the sharpest tool in the shed. Or they might say someone’s a “brick” if they’re strong and dependable, like a good ol’ fence post. But when we’re talkin’ weather, “brick” means cold, plain and simple. Freezin’ cold. Colder than a mother-in-law’s stare.
So next time you hear someone sayin’ it’s “brick” outside, you know they ain’t talkin’ about buildin’ materials. They’re sayin’ it’s gonna be a cold one. A real cold one. The kind of cold that makes you wish you were a bear hibernatin’ in a cave. So bundle up, buttercup, and don’t say I didn’t warn ya.
And don’t you go thinkin’ it’s somethin’ new, this cold. We been havin’ cold winters since the Good Lord made dirt, but folks just keep findin’ new ways to complain about it. “Brick” is just the latest way, seems like. But whatever you call it, cold is cold, and you best be ready for it.
So remember, if you hear “brick” and it ain’t about buildin’ somethin’, then it’s about the weather. And it ain’t good weather, lemme tell ya. It’s the kind of weather that makes you wanna stay inside, drink hot cocoa, and count the days till spring. ‘Cause when it’s brick outside, ain’t nothin’ to do but wait it out. And maybe put on another pair of socks.
Tags: Brick, Cold, Weather, Slang, New York, Temperature, Meaning, Definition, Winter, Freezing
