Meaning & use
you're a brick
Last updated
Meaning
phrasefixed phraseold-fashionedinformalBritish
A way to tell someone they are kind, helpful, or reliable.
Grammar: Used as a complete compliment, often after someone has done a favor.
Patterns
- you're a brick for doing something
- be a brick
Thanks for helping me move all those boxes—you're a brick!
She stayed late to finish the report for me. She's a real brick.
Common combinations
- a real brick
- He drove me to the airport at 5 a.m. — he's a real brick.
- be a brick
- You were a brick to lend me your car when mine broke down.
- thanks, you're a brick
- Thanks for covering my shift, you're a brick.
- you're a brick for doing something
- You're a brick for organizing the whole party by yourself.
Synonyms and how they differ
- you're a gem
- Similar in meaning but more common in modern British English and slightly less old-fashioned.
- you're a star
- More casual and widely used today, especially for small favors.
- you're a lifesaver
- Stronger and more urgent, used when someone helps you out of a difficult situation.
Commonly confused: you're a brick or brick?
you're a brick vs brick
As a noun, 'brick' is a hard building block. The idiom 'you're a brick' uses the word figuratively to mean a dependable person.
Practice
After someone helps you carry heavy bags, which sentence sounds most natural in old-fashioned British English?
Choose one answer.
'You're a brick' is the fixed idiom for praising a helpful person. 'You're a rock' is also used but is more modern and often means emotional support, not physical help. The other options are not established idioms.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “you're a brick”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.