At night, a thick wall of noise seemed to edge closer and louder in proportion with my sleeplessness.

WSJ: A Trumpet in the Wild

From the moment they took the field for the pre-game anthems, the English players were confronted by jeers and whistles from a crowd of 50, 000 fans who created a wall of noise.

WSJ: Euro 2012: Wayne Rooney Returns for England and All's Well

On the other side of the wall, there was the noise of furniture scraping across a tile floor.

NEWYORKER: The Empty Chamber