| 单词 | to sell a gold brick |
| 释义 | > as lemmasto sell (a person) a gold brick 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. < as lemmas |
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