# Is the phrase "bricks and mortar" common in the US? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 22, 2013, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-phrase-bricks-and-mortar-common-in-the-us/666863 "2013-08-22T11:05:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![NotDeadYet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/22d042/32.png) [@NotDeadYet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NotDeadYet)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2013, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-phrase-bricks-and-mortar-common-in-the-us/666863/41 "2013-08-24T02:26:30Z")
In the cigar business the term is used quite often to differentiate between online sales outlets like JR, CI or Famous and the local cigar shop. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2013, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-phrase-bricks-and-mortar-common-in-the-us/666863/42 "2013-08-24T02:34:15Z")
Glazer writes: \> Not when you remember that Great Britain is only the size of a medium sized \> State. The U.K. has about a fifth as many people as the U.S. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2013, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-phrase-bricks-and-mortar-common-in-the-us/666863/43 "2013-08-24T02:49:41Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > [Bricks (plural) and mortar](https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bricks-Mortar-in-The-Times/278149326080) is the property section of The Times (what Americans call the Times _of London_). > [@John\_Mace](#): > > I read about the British Open in The Times of London! > [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > Actually, many Americans call it _The London Times_, which sounds even stranger to a Brit. I don’t see what the big deal is here. There are plenty of things that are customarily called by slight variations of the official name. For example, the local newspaper in Cleveland, Ohio, is _The Plain Dealer_, but unless you live in Cleveland, it is very likely that you refer to it as the _Cleveland Plain Dealer_ or, more formally, as _The Plain Dealer of Cleveland_. There are, so far as I know, zero other significant newspapers with the name _The Plain Dealer_, but in colloquial use, the extra modifier is considered necessary. And it’s even more true with the name _The Times_. In England, it might be perfectly obvious what newspaper is meant by _The Times_, but when I use it without modification, I mean _The New York Times_ (although theoretically, I could also use it for _The Washington Times_). If I were on the West Coast I would mean _The Los Angeles Times_. There are several newspapers with that name in my consciousness, including _The Times of India_ and _The Irish Times_. So, If I’m talking about the London _Times_, I have to specify. That’s what makes sense to me in the context I live in. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2013, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-phrase-bricks-and-mortar-common-in-the-us/666863/44 "2013-08-24T03:33:36Z")
Except that The New York Times is officially called “THe New York Times” and THe TImes of London is called “The TImes”. In the golf world, if I say “The Open”, no one thinks I’m talking about The US Open, which is officially called “The US Open”. ---
**Author:** ![Glazer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a88e57/32.png) [@Glazer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Glazer)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2013, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-phrase-bricks-and-mortar-common-in-the-us/666863/45 "2013-08-24T03:47:45Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > Glazer writes: > > \> Not when you remember that Great Britain is only the size of a medium sized > \> State. > > The U.K. has about a fifth as many people as the U.S. Damn, they pack them in like sardines over there.😉 And now that I’m thinking about it there are over a dozen Universities just here in Atlanta. And that doesn’t count Community Colleges or Trade Schools. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2013, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-phrase-bricks-and-mortar-common-in-the-us/666863/46 "2013-08-24T03:55:37Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Except that The New York Times is officially called “THe New York Times” and THe TImes of London is called “The TImes”. Oh, so you ignored all the other sentences I wrote. > [@](#): > > In the golf world, if I say “The Open”, no one thinks I’m talking about The US Open, which is officially called “The US Open”. If you say “The Open,” I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about, so far as I’m concerned it could be in the United States, France, or Australia. Wait that’s tennis. See what I mean? Context is key. You’re fixated on “official” names. That’s not always the most important consideration when you’re communicating with people. ---
**Author:** ![YWalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/6f9a4e/32.png) [@YWalker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YWalker)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2013, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-phrase-bricks-and-mortar-common-in-the-us/666863/47 "2013-08-25T00:11:13Z")
In facilities management circles, I often hear “brick and mortar” used to describe the permanent buildings, as opposed to mobile units or modular buildings. It’s also becoming more and more common to differentiate between say, shopping in a physical Target store vs. shopping at [Target.com](http://Target.com). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-phrase-bricks-and-mortar-common-in-the-us/666863.md?page=2)