gold brickn.
/ˌɡəʊld ˈbrɪk/, U.S. /ˈɡoʊl(d) ˌbrɪk/ 1. A brick-shaped block of gold, used as a medium of exchange.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > metal > precious metal > [noun] > gold > lump or bar of gold
rulea1382
tongue1535
grain1613
gold bar1713
gold brick1820
lob1825
1820 Freeman's Jrnl. (Dublin) 17 Feb. No one has cared about changing his notes for gold bricks of sixty ounces weight!
1877 R. W. Raymond Statistics Mines & Mining 354 Individuals are constantly carrying out bags of gold and gold bricks and some silver bricks.
1899 Monthly S. Dakotan 1 196 [He] found in a water hole a gunny sack in which was a gold brick.
1942 Geogr. Rev. 32 404 The Territories' first gold brick was poured there.
1997 J. Weatherford Hist. Money ii. xii. 179 The gold [in the Federal Reserve Bank of N.Y.] is divided among several different chambers, the largest of which contains a wall composed of 107,000 gold bricks.
2017 Daily News (N.Y.) (Nexis) 28 Apr. (Sports Final ed.) 5 Thieves broke into a..home, stealing $80,000 in gold bricks, two guns and $50,000 in cash.
2. colloquial (originally and chiefly U.S.). A brick-shaped block that has been duplicitously made to appear as if solid gold. Hence: something having only a surface appearance of value; a fraud, hoax, or swindle. Esp. in to sell (a person) a gold brick: to swindle a person.Recorded earliest in attributive use: see Compounds.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > deceit, deception, trickery > cheating, fraud > [noun] > fraudulent device
figment?a1475
cogc1555
fraud1658
joker1858
gold brick1865
1865 National Police Gaz. (U.S.) 4 May 6/1 (heading) The king of bunco men. The inventor of the ‘gold brick’ swindle... Made a fortune out of his confidence games and bold schemes.
1888 Dunkirk (N.Y.) Observer-Jrnl. 7 Sept. He sold a ‘gold brick’ to ex-Senator Gordon..and it is really astonishing the number of victims a well-dressed sharper can corral onto in a year.
1911 B. T. Washington My Larger Educ. 292 In many cases, the diploma that the student carries home at the conclusion of his course is nothing less than a gold brick.
1923 H. C. Bailey Mr. Fortune's Pract. iii. 82 ‘He is said to be negotiating deals in Russian mining properties.’ ‘Sounds like a gold brick.’
1947 Chicago Daily News 16 May 18/5 It used to be the city slicker who sold gold bricks to the hick from the country.
1999 Economist 31 Dec. 136/3 Sellers of snake oil, gold bricks and the Brooklyn Bridge owed him [sc. Columbus] something.
2007 South Wales Echo (Nexis) 14 Aug. 18 I do, however, thank him for his offer to sell me a gold brick. Should I ever become gullible enough to even contemplate purchasing one, I would certainly turn to him first.
3. U.S. colloquial (chiefly Military slang). A useless or incompetent person, esp. one who is lazy or negligent; a shirker or malingerer. Cf. gold-bricker n. 2.Usually referring to a man, but in quot. 1905 a girl or young woman.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > goodness and badness > wrongdoing > undutifulness > undutiful person > [noun] > avoiding
shrinker1554
shirker1799
shirk1818
funker1826
gold brick1905
the world > action or operation > inaction > not doing > abstaining or refraining from action > [noun] > avoiding an action or condition > avoiding duty, work, or exertion > one who
skulkc1320
loundererc1425
old soldier1722
malingerer1785
skulker1785
shirker1799
shirk1818
slink1824
schemer1843
sconcer1843
scrimshanker1882
scrimshank1886
sooner1892
Weary Willie1896
slacker1898
slackster1901
sugarer1904
work-shy1904
gold brick1905
tired Tim (also Timothy)1906
lead-swinger1917
piker1917
gold-bricker1919
slinker1919
poler1938
skiver1941
the world > action or operation > harm or detriment > disadvantage > uselessness > [noun] > that which is useless > useless person or thing > person
sooner1892
gold brick1905
1905 Washington Post 15 Jan. 4/3 One metaphor used by the boys in an Eastern school is the application of the term ‘gold brick’ to every girl who can neither talk, dance, nor look pretty.
1914 Dial. Notes 4 107 Gold-brick.., applied to army lieutenants appointed from civil life. ‘The gold-bricks are overbearing.’
1926 L. H. Nason Chevrons viii. 275 I think you're a goldbrick... You don't look as if you were wounded the slightest bit.
1943 Reader's Digest Oct. 97 The wise guy always complains when there is work to do. Sometimes [in the army] he is called a Gold Brick.
1958 J. Steinbeck Once there was War p. xviii In the ranks, billeted with the stinking, cheating, foul-mouthed goldbricks, there were true heroes.
1982 W. Wharton Midnight Clear ii. 88 If goldbricks like us get to heaven, he's taking his chances with the devil.
2001 R. Russo Empire Falls iv. xxviii. 416 The workmen's comp table called for another round... She suspected that not one of these goldbricks was actually injured, but most at least had the decency to pretend.
Compounds
General attributive (in sense 2), as gold brick swindle, gold brick scheme, etc.
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1865 National Police Gaz. (U.S.) 4 May 6/1 (heading) The king of bunco men. The inventor of the ‘gold brick’ swindle... Made a fortune out of his confidence games and bold schemes.
1879 Times 9 June 2/7 Abut two weeks ago a very smart ‘gold brick’ trick was played in Denver.
1887 Chambers's Jrnl. 1 Oct. 637/1 A ‘gold-brick swindler’.
1918 Trained Nurse & Hosp. Rev. Oct. 199/1 In the Gold Alley, the astrologers' street in Prague.., many a trick was played by the goldbrick men of ancient time.
1959 J. N. Makris Silent Investigators vii. 102 The ‘gold-brick’ swindle..fleeced victims of sums ranging from $500 to $25,000.
1976 Fort Stockton (Texas) Pioneer 11 Nov. 2 b The gold brick con, the inherited billions bilk..and a whole bag of other tricks you've probably never even heard of.
2001 Advertiser (Austral.) (Nexis) 23 June 21 They have been dudded so often over the past two or three decades that naturally they have become sceptical of any new gold-brick schemes that are on offer.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2018; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1820