Like a ton of bricks

Piles of bricks. If they fall on you they will hit you like a ton of bricks (or maybe more.)
It’s a crushing weight.

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Phrase: Like a ton of bricks

There is no weight difference between a ton of bricks, a ton of tomatoes or a ton of feathers.

We say like a ton of bricks because it sounds much more dramatic and has a more substantial impact.


The simile, like a ton of bricks, is used when someone wants to indicate there was crushing weight, force, or authority used. 


You probably know that marijuana is legal across Canada and in quite a few US states.

Don’t be fooled.

It is still very much illegal in Japan.

If you are caught with even one joint, half a gram of hash oil, or even smell like you have been toking, the police will come down on you like a ton of bricks.

The arresting officer will call for backup, and six or eight more cops will show up.

The drug specialists will do a roadside test and show you the positive result.

If you are a foreigner, the judge may also choose to either throw the book at you or come down like a ton of bricks on your head.

Please take my advice; it’s not worth it.

The pain doesn’t end with the law system for those caught with illegal drugs in Japan.

Your employer will fire you, the government will most likely cancel your visa and deport you, your girlfriend will never speak to you again, your wife will give you the cold shoulder, and your friends will disown you.

The entire social system of the country will hit you like a ton of bricks and then ignore you.

You will lose everything.

The severity of what you have done will hit you like a ton of bricks.  


Flesch-Kincaid Readability Test

This post is understandable by someone with at least a 7th-grade education (age 12).   

On the Flesch-Kincaid reading-ease test, this post scores 79.   

The easier a passage is to read, the higher the score on a scale of 0 – 100. 


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