Brickhouse

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A dwelling constructed from baked clay blocks laid in mortar
2. A residence built primarily with brick as its structural and exterior material
3. A house whose walls are made of fired clay bricks joined together with cement

Etymology: A brickhouse was originally just a house built of brick. "Brick" itself came into English from Middle Dutch or Middle Low German, and the compound is transparent: a sturdy building made of a sturdy material. Solidity is what the figure of speech borrows. Calling a person a brickhouse meant they were stout, strong, and solidly built, and in American slang the term came to refer especially to a woman with a full, curvaceous figure. The slang sense spread widely through American popular music. The Commodores' funk hit "Brick House" made it a household phrase, and it remains the version most people now hear.