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Old November 09, 2010, 05:10 AM
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Question Ladrillo

I know that it is English for "brick", but a different dictionary says "heavy (familiar)" and RAE says "Cosa pesada o aburrida". Will you please comment on this? How can something familiar be heavy? And in the RAE definition, is this an adjecgtive?
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  #2  
Old November 09, 2010, 05:15 AM
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familiar implies "a familiar usage"
A brick (Un ladrillo) in a familiar usage, it's something heavy you have to carry, literally or not.
examples
cosa pesada y aburrida (familiar):
-El discurso de Obama/Fidel Castro/Chávez fue un ladrillo
The lecture of Obama/Fidel Castro/Chávez was long and tedious
heavy (familiar)
-mi nuevo móvil es muy ligero, el anterior era un ladrillo
My new mobile phone it's feathery, the old was big and heavy

You can say both in a familiar way, but it's not a proper word to write.
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Last edited by sosia; November 09, 2010 at 08:11 AM.
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Old November 09, 2010, 05:52 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by laepelba View Post
I know that it is English for "brick", but a different dictionary says "heavy (familiar)" and RAE says "Cosa pesada o aburrida". Will you please comment on this? How can something familiar be heavy? And in the RAE definition, is this an adjecgtive?
GDO:

ladrillomasculino
1 brick;
una pared de ladrillo a brick wall; fachada a ladrillo visto or (América Latina) de ladrillo a la vista brick facade; ser un ladrillo (familiar) «libro» to be heavy-going; «persona» (Argentina) to be dense o slow (familiar)
In BrE there is also the concept of being very stupid: to be as thick as a brick
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Old November 09, 2010, 06:33 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Perikles View Post
ladrillomasculino
...
«persona»
(Argentina) to be dense o slow (familiar)
This doesn't exist here at all.

plomo, plomazo = dull boring person, boring performance, tedious time, long waiting time
piedra, tonelada = something heavy
piedra = something indigestible ---> "me cayó como piedra"

"Ladrillo" is not used here with those meanings -I can't recall any lexical use of it in that sense outside Spain-
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Old November 09, 2010, 07:46 AM
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I agree with Sosia's explanation and examples. We can also use "un plomo" instead of "un ladrillo".

@Lou Ann: No, it's not an adjective, but a noun used as some sort of metaphor.
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Old November 09, 2010, 10:33 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by laepelba View Post
I know that it is English for "brick", but a different dictionary says "heavy (familiar)" and RAE says "Cosa pesada o aburrida". Will you please comment on this? How can something familiar be heavy? And in the RAE definition, is this an adjecgtive?
In English (I guess it is a false cognate)

you're a brick!

We use it instead to mean "dense"
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Old November 09, 2010, 01:15 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sosia View Post
familiar implies "a familiar usage"
Does "familiar" then mean "informal"? I'm not really clear on the "familiar" part....

Quote:
Originally Posted by Perikles View Post
GDO:

ladrillomasculino
1 brick;
una pared de ladrillo a brick wall; fachada a ladrillo visto or (América Latina) de ladrillo a la vista brick facade; ser un ladrillo (familiar) «libro» to be heavy-going; «persona» (Argentina) to be dense o slow (familiar)
In BrE there is also the concept of being very stupid: to be as thick as a brick
What is this GDO? Is there a website? Or are you re-typing stuff from a book that you have?

Quote:
Originally Posted by chileno View Post
In English (I guess it is a false cognate)

you're a brick!

We use it instead to mean "dense"
I've never heard that phrase used in English before. Maybe it's Nevada-English?

Thanks, all - I think I've got it now.
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Old November 09, 2010, 01:28 PM
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Your a brick sounds truly strange to me, however if you say you are thick as a brick, you are accusing someone of being stupid.
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Old November 09, 2010, 01:30 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by poli View Post
Your a brick sounds truly strange to me, however if you say you are thick as a brick, you are accusing someone of being stupid.
That doesn't sound as odd to me....
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Old November 09, 2010, 02:11 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by laepelba View Post
Does "familiar" then mean "informal"? I'm not really clear on the "familiar" part....
Yes.


Quote:
Originally Posted by laepelba View Post
I've never heard that phrase used in English before. Maybe it's Nevada-English?
Quote:
Originally Posted by poli View Post
Your a brick sounds truly strange to me, however if you say you are thick as a brick, you are accusing someone of being stupid.

Either will mean "stupid".

"What, Am I talking to a brick?"

Quote:
Originally Posted by laepelba View Post
That doesn't sound as odd to me....
Well, it must be because "your a brick" is totally different from "you're a brick"
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