bricks shy of a load

bricks shy of a load idiom
Mentally impaired, either unintelligent or merely eccentric. For example, He may be handsome but he's not too bright—a few bricks shy of a load. This term, transferring a light load to lightweight mental capacity, is usually preceded by either a few or a specific number such as two. [Slang; 1960s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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