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Origin likely
“Like a ton of bricks”
What it means
With sudden, overwhelming force.
Where it comes from
A long ton is 2,240 pounds, and a pallet of masonry bricks is roughly two thirds of it. Anyone who has worked on a building site has a direct sense of what the phrase describes.
How sure are we?
Nineteenth century, arising alongside industrial construction. Earlier versions used a hundred of bricks, and the quantity inflated as buildings grew.