handyman's special

6.7

A house sold cheaply because it needs a lot of repair

noun
/ˈhændɪˌmænz ˈspɛʃəl/

: casa para reparar

They decided to buy a handyman's special because it was well below their budget and had great potential.

Examples

This house is a handyman's special!
This handyman's special could become a beautiful home with some hard work and vision.
After months of searching, she bought a handyman's special in the suburbs.
They saw the listing for a handyman's special and decided to take on the challenge.
I found a great handyman's special in the neighborhood.
The couple spent months renovating their handyman's special, transforming it into their dream home.
Finding a handyman's special in that neighborhood was a stroke of luck, as houses there usually cost much more.

Synonyms

fixer-upper

vshandyman's special

Informal

11 4.5

A house or other home that needs repairs and is sold for a low price

is broader, used for any property needing repair rather than only dwellings

How Run-Down

derelict

14 7.5

handyman's special

6.7

to needs fixing

15 2.0

well-kept

7 1.8

Surface Forms

handyman's special singular

handyman's specials plural

Morphology

handyman's + special

The phrase is directly compositional: 'handyman' (a person who does repairs) + 'special' (a bargain or deal) yields 'a bargain aimed at handymen', which implies a property that needs repair and is offered cheaply. This logical possessive construction and resulting meaning should be inferable by a B1 learner who knows the two constituents.

Etymology

The phrase handyman's special comes from the simple idea of a house in bad shape sold cheaply to someone who can fix it. A handyman is someone who can 'fix' things and a special is a good deal, so the phrase means 'a property offered cheaply because it needs repair'.