Hummer house

n. an overly large single-family residence. Subjects: English, Construction & Buildings, Houses & Housing, Derogatory, Slang

Editorial Note: Synonyms are starter castle, faux chateau, and McMansion. Etymological Note: From the Hummer, a large fuel-inefficient sports utility vehicle often seen or used as a symbol of wastefulness.

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Citations: 2003 Dave McKibben Los Angeles Times (Sept. 23) “Verdict on 11-Home Laguna Beach Project Expected Tonight” p. B5: Some critics have argued that the large homes would not fit with the character of the other homes in the area, and they specifically express anxiety about two oversized lots which, they say, will be able to accommodate “Hummer houses and starter castles.” 2004 Whitney Gould Journal Sentinel (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) (Dec. 5) “Dreaming of a world of Not So Big houses”: A new generation begins to shun those wasteful Hummer houses. You know the houses I’m talking about—soulless, super-sized suburban dwellings (otherwise known as McMansions, or starter castles) with multiple gables, gymnasium-like Great Rooms, stratospheric ceilings and baronial dining rooms. 2005 Ann Felker Washington Post (A16) (July 16) “Less Can Really Be More”: Driving along the Main Line outside Philadelphia, through downtown Hagerstown or beside the town common in Tarboro, N.C., reminds us that Hummer homes are not necessarily a new phenomenon. 2006 Harper Jones Houston Chronicle (Texas) (June 24) “Letters: Stop ‘Hummer houses,’ too”: I think of them as “Hummer houses” for their obnoxious size—they are surely as gaudy and embarrassing. Perhaps even more so, as vehicles are gone to the scrap heap in 10 years.

Posted 31 Aug 06 | Permalink | Tell a Friend