Idiom
have a brick in one's hat
Meaning
To be drunk.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“He had a brick in his hat after the party.”
“The man was stumbling down the street because he clearly had a brick in his hat.”
“After consuming several rounds of strong spirits, he began to behave erratically, suggesting he had a brick in his hat.”
Examples
simple
“He had a brick in his hat after the party.”
contextual
“The man was stumbling down the street because he clearly had a brick in his hat.”
complex
“After consuming several rounds of strong spirits, he began to behave erratically, suggesting he had a brick in his hat.”
Origin
Mid-19th century, of American origin. The expression refers to the unsteady gait of an intoxicated person, which was likened to the difficulty of balancing a heavy object, such as a brick, inside one's headgear. Under the weight of the invisible masonry, the wearer was observed to walk with a distinct lack of coordination.
Key words
Related idioms
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