brickbat (chiefly American)
noun

- an unfavorable remark; a criticism

- a piece, especially of brick, used as a weapon or missile

(American Heritage Dictionary of The English Language, Fourth Edition)

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WORD ORIGIN

According to the American Heritage Dictionary of The English Language, the earliest sense of brickbat (1563) referred to pieces of brick, which are sometimes thrown at others in the hope of injuring them, such as during protests. This in turn gave us the figurative brickbats (first recorded in 1929), which refers to verbal criticism.

The appearance of bat as the second part of this compound is explained by the fact that the word bat, "war club, cudgel," developed the sense of "chunk, clod, wad" in Middle English. Brickbat is also used in conjunction with bouquet, as in flowers, to indicate that someone has received both compliments and criticism: "The customer satisfaction survey is full of bouquets and brickbats."

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SYNONYMS

crack, dig, flak, indignity, insult, knock, jab, offence, parting shot, put down, rap, ridicule, slam, slap, swipe

(DH)

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ANTONYMS

adulation, compliment, endorsement, flattery, homage, kudos, praise

(DH)

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SMUGGLE OWAD INTO TODAY'S CONVERSATION:
say something like:

"If they shut down the factory, brickbats will only be one of the negative consequences."