Use bring down the house for enthusiastic applause, laughter, or cheering after a public performance or speech, not for actual damage to a building.
Use bring down the house for enthusiastic applause, laughter, or cheering after a public performance or speech, not for actual damage to a building.
Literal uses like the storm brought down the house confuse the idiom with real collapse, and altered wording can lose the fixed expression.
Built on house as a theatre word for the audience and the venue, with the comic image of applause or laughter loud enough to shake the building.
What does bring down the house mean?
Bring down the house means to make an audience applaud, laugh, or cheer loudly.
Is bring down the house literal?
No. It is figurative and describes a delighted audience reaction, not a building falling down.
Can a speech bring down the house?
Yes. A speech, joke, song, scene, or performance can bring down the house if the audience reacts strongly.
Is bring the house down also correct?
Yes. Bring the house down is a common related form with the same meaning.
What is the past tense of bring down the house?
The past tense is brought down the house.