Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Of, relating to, or being the British universities other than Oxford and Cambridge.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective of, or relating to a
red brick university - adjective made of red brick
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adjective of or relating to British universities founded in the late 19th century or the 20th century
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
[So called because many of the buildings of such universities were built of red bricks.]
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Examples
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john commented on the word redbrick
"Lacking prestige. The term usually describes universities. A redbrick university is one built in the UK after WWII, as opposed to the older prestigious institutions such as Oxford and Cambridge. The term is mostly used in the UK."
- A.Word.A.Day
January 23, 2008
yarb commented on the word redbrick
Not quite, AWAD. Wordnet is correct. Redbrick universities are basically those built in England before WWII, with the exception of Oxbridge, UCL, and arguably Durham. Many of the original structures were indeed built from Victorian red brick. See Wikipedia.
Universities founded in the 60's / 70's / 80's explosion in higher education, and initially referred to as polytechnics, are traditionally looked down-upon by redbricks, just as redbricks have been traditionally scorned by Oxbridge. So in the sense of education, this word has gone from meaning "lacking prestige" to somewhat the opposite. To graduate from a redbrick university is comparatively respectable these days.
January 23, 2008
asativum commented on the word redbrick
Oh dear. Is this the start of a Wikipedia-A.Word.A.Day smackdown? I'll get the popcorn!
January 23, 2008
sionnach commented on the word redbrick
I associate the term redbrick with the University of Reading. Which is well-regarded, and was given its charter between the two world wars. Suggesting that AWAD is indeed off the mark on this one.
January 23, 2008
yarb commented on the word redbrick
Reading is a redbrick, although one of the shabbier ones.
January 23, 2008