Street voices
Hugues
·
United States
"Built like a brick shithouse. Something you say about someone who is very jacked, built, buff, just very muscular and big. You think that guy Daryl hits the gym? Yeah, of course he hits the gym, look at him, he's built like a brick shithouse."
What it means
Means someone is seriously muscular, thick set, and sturdy looking, like they were assembled out of bricks instead of feelings. It is a rough, old school compliment with a bit of comic exaggeration baked in, usually said about a bloke who looks powerful enough to carry your sofa, your fridge, and your bad decisions upstairs.
Usage examples
"You see Marcus at the barbecue in that tank top? Dude’s built like a brick shithouse. I’m not arm wrestling him unless my insurance is sorted."
"My new neighbour is built like a brick shithouse, helped me move a fridge upstairs with one hand while holding a coffee in the other, and barely needed a glass of water before walking back to his car parked outside."
"The lad on door at the club is built like a brick shithouse, nobody argues with him on his shift, even the loud parties walk past, give a polite nod and head into the smoking area without a word of protest."
Where it comes from
British and Commonwealth idiom of late nineteenth-century vintage, a comparison to the outdoor latrine, the most solid masonry structure many workers built with their own hands. Originally a compliment about anything sturdy, the phrase eventually settled almost exclusively on the human frame, especially the kind that fills a doorway without effort or visible breath.
Other ways to say it
Editors of this term
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