I. ˈgōl(d)ˌbrik noun
1.
a. : a worthless brick that appears to be made of gold
b. : something that appears to be valuable but is actually worthless
2. also gold·brick·er -kə(r) -s
[ goldbrick from goldbrick (II) ; goldbricker from goldbrick (II) + -er ]
a. : a soldier free from regular military routine because of assignment to special duty
b. : a soldier who evades or halfheartedly performs assigned work
would have a goldbrick court-martialed — R.O.Bowen
3. also goldbricker -s
[ goldbrick from goldbrick (II) ; goldbricker from goldbrick (II) + -er ]
: one who evades work for which he is responsible : loafer , shirker
goldbricks are turning up in offices and factories — Tomorrow
II. verb
Etymology: goldbrick (I) ; from a form of swindle in which worthless goldbricks are passed off as being actually made of gold
transitive verb
: swindle
intransitive verb
: to evade or halfheartedly perform assigned work : shirk duty or responsibility : goof off
a man who goldbricks on work details and lets the others carry the load — Gregor Felsen