The AI-powered English dictionary
plural brick walls
Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see brick, wall. A wall made of bricks. examples
(figurative) An obstacle. quotations examples
They all ran up against the brick wall of high cost until the cryogenic option was proven feasible in 1973.
1981, Donald D., William R. Corliss Baals, Wind Tunnels of NASA
(sound engineering) A type of anti-aliasing filter with a steep cutoff. quotations examples
One of the first problems with the digital audio process is the use of brick wall filters with very steep slopes for anti-aliasing and anti-imaging purposes.
2005, Daniel M. Thompson, Understanding Audio
To reconstruct the sampled signal, an ideal brick wall filter is demanded to remove the output of band signal.
2012, Steve Hung, Lung Tu, Analog Circuit Design for Communication SOC, page 184
For example, a first order filter can be converted to a brick wall filter by multiplying by the brick wall factor 1.57.
2012, Art Kay, Operational Amplifier Noise
(figurative) Someone who is silent or unresponsive. quotations examples
When mama says she doesn't talk, she means it. She's a brick wall.
1987, National Thespian Dramatic Honor Society for High Schools, Dramatics, volume 59, page 23
"Does he talk much? I mean, does he initiate conversation?""No. He's a brick wall," I said.
1992, Judith Caseley, My Father, The Nutcase, page 34
Having uttered these benign assurances, Mr Burner III became a brick wall.
1997, Edward R.F. Sheeran, Cardinal Galsworthy, page 182
third-person singular simple present brick walls, present participle brick walling, simple past and past participle brick walled
To build a brick wall around. quotations examples
They forcefully imprisoned her in a decorative room and brick walled it.
2013, Cyril A. Peters, Ignoble Imitation, page 98
(sound engineering) To filter using a brick wall filter. quotations examples
Audio recorded too quietly means that there is more opportunity for noise, even in today's digital workflow. Audio recorded too loud will distort in the analog world, and will simply "brick wall" in digital terms.
2005, Douglas Spotted Eagle, Instant Digital Audio, page 77
To halt or limit abruptly. quotations examples
The driver stopped the cab on the spot, brick-walled it then and there.
2012, Geoff Dyer, The Colour of Memory
Baseball's unstoppable force -- the 2017 Los Angeles Dodgers -- ran smack into peak-form Verlander, who brick-walled their six-game winning streak.
2017 August 21, Bradford Doolittle, “Justin Verlander's domination of Dodgers looked like Astros audition”, in ESPN
To be uncooperative and unresponsive. quotations examples
They wanted to know how successful the attack had been. But you brick-walled them.
2012, Donald Moffitt, A Gathering of Stars
My rapid dial wouldn't work, and when I was finally able to get a Homeland Security office phone number to reach you, the receptionist brick walled me.
2012, Virdean, Making the Rules
But he'd brick-walled her on something that obviously caused him pain.
2017, Lauren Layne, Ready To Run: I Do, I Don't