built like a brick shipyard

9.8

Very strong and solid, like a person with big muscles or a very hard box

idiom

Informal

: sólido como un roble

Everyone at the gym agrees that Sarah is built like a brick shipyard thanks to her intense training.

Examples

The new suitcase is built like a brick shipyard, so I’m not worried about it breaking during travel.
Despite its age, the old safe is built like a brick shipyard and impossible to move.
That guy is built like a brick shipyard!
She is built like a brick shipyard and can lift heavy weights.
Everyone at the gym agrees that Sarah is built like a brick shipyard thanks to her intense training.
Despite its age, the old safe is built like a brick shipyard and impossible to move.
The new suitcase is built like a brick shipyard, so I’m not worried about it breaking during travel.

Synonyms

built like a brick shithouse

vsbuilt like a brick shipyard

Offensive

9.9

A building or vehicle that is very strong and hard to break

is a humorous less vulgar label for strong or sturdy things

built like a brick outhouse

vsbuilt like a brick shipyard

Informal

9.1

A person who is very strong and muscular with a solid, powerful body

applies broadly to both people and objects in a humorous way

built like a hulk

vsbuilt like a brick shipyard

Informal

6.3

A person who has very large muscles and a strong body

is used more broadly for sturdiness and objects not only for muscle

Antonyms

fragile

83 3.4

Easily broken or damaged because it is not strong

unstable

80 4.4

Not steady and likely to change, fail, or fall

How Strong

built like a brick shipyard

Informal

9.8

sturdy

76 2.1

solid

525 3.0

well-made

17 3.6

flimsy

25 3.8

Surface Forms

built like a brick shipyard positive

Morphology

build + like + a + brick + shipyard

The simile pattern 'built like a ...' combined with 'brick' (a solid building material) and 'shipyard' (a large, robust place) cues a meaning of great sturdiness, so a learner who knows the words could likely infer 'very strong' or 'solidly built'. However, the specific phrase is unusual and humorous rather than conventional, and it relies on a creative metaphorical comparison that is not fully predictable without exposure.

Etymology

Built like a brick shipyard gives a clear picture: imagine a shipyard made of heavy brick with big machines, so everything there is solid and hard to move. Saying someone is built like that means they are 'very strong' or very sturdy.