goldbrick

[gohld-brik for 1, 2; gohld-brik for 3–5]

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noun

Informal. a brick made to look like gold, sold by a swindler.

Informal. anything supposed to be valuable but which turns out to be worthless.

Also gold·brick·er. Slang. a person, especially a soldier, who shirks responsibility or performs duties without proper effort or care.

verb (used without object) Slang.

to shirk responsibility or perform halfheartedly; loaf.

verb (used with object)

to swindle; cheat.

Origin of goldbrick

An Americanism dating back to 1850–55; gold + brick

Related Words for goldbrick

pussyfoot, loaf, fence, cheat, sidestep, elude, slip, duck, creep, quit, lounge, shirk, dodge, slink, eschew, lurk, parry, malinger, bum, shun

Word Origin and History for goldbrick

"shirker," 1914, World War I armed forces slang, from earlier verb meaning "to swindle, cheat" (1902) from the old con game of selling spurious "gold" bricks (attested by 1882).