In Aussie slang, a brick is a 10 pound note (which were at one time brick red), and London is a strange foreign city made of bricks. London to a brick means the same as dollars to donuts (or perhaps a pound to a penny for our UK viewers), that is, something that's such a sure bet that you would accept ridiculously long odds on the outcome.

This phrase was popularized in the 1940s by Australian race caller Ken Howard. It was apparently used, although not commonly, in the UK as far back as 1825 (in which case the brick was, in fact, a simple brick). In modern days this phrase is uniquely Australian, and perhaps a bit old-fashioned even there.

Log in or register to write something here or to contact authors.