come down on someone like a ton of bricks
Meaning: To criticize or punish someone very severely.
Language: English
Literally: (Already vivid in English)
Example: “If you're late again, the manager will come down on you like a ton of bricks.”
Category: The Absurd
Origin: A crushing weight falling on someone. An American version, "like a thousand of brick," is recorded in the 1830s; "ton of bricks" became the usual form later.
Equivalents in other languages
- French: Tirer à boulets rouges — literally: To fire with red cannonballs
- French: Comme la vérole sur le bas clergé — literally: Like the pox on the lower clergy
More idioms — The Absurd
- it doesn't take a rocket scientist — Something is easy to understand; no special intelligence is needed.
- a bottomless pit — Something that uses up endless money or effort; also a person who is always hungry.
- blow a gasket — To lose one's temper completely.
- Ariadne's thread — Something that guides one through a complicated problem.
- hey presto — Said when something happens suddenly, as if by magic.
- the eighth wonder of the world — Something extraordinary, often said ironically.
More English idioms
- shoot down in flames — To reject or destroy an idea or argument completely.
- set tongues wagging — To cause people to gossip.
- rough around the edges — Lacking polish or refinement, though basically good.
- smoke the peace pipe — To make peace after a quarrel.
- seize the day — Make the most of the present moment.
- bow and scrape — To behave in an overly humble or flattering way toward someone powerful.