A critical remark or unfavorable comment; can also mean a piece of brick or a blunt weapon made from a brick.
From 'brick' (the building material) plus 'bat' (a blow or strike). Originally meant a piece of brick used as a weapon, then evolved metaphorically to mean a harsh critical blow in words.
This word shows how physical objects become metaphors—'throwing brickbats' means criticizing someone harshly, just as physically throwing bricks is destructive, and the word perfectly captures the medieval insult of literally throwing bricks at people.
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