shithouse of an office
- noun
- /ˈʃɪthaʊs əv ən ˈɔfɪs/
- Offensive
:
oficina de mierda
- Nobody wants to work in this shithouse of an office anymore—they're all looking for new jobs.
Examples
-
He quit his last job because it was a real shithouse of an office.
-
This place is a real shithouse of an office!
-
Honestly, I've never seen such a shithouse of an office in my career.
-
I can't believe we work in a shithouse of an office.
-
He quit his last job because it was a real shithouse of an office.
-
Honestly, I've never seen such a shithouse of an office in my career.
-
Nobody wants to work in this shithouse of an office anymore—they're all looking for new jobs.
Synonyms
169
9.9
A person or thing that is very bad and has no value used to insult someone
2
9.9
A very old, broken car or run-down place
1
9.9
A very dirty, messy pile of trash and broken things
A very unpleasant and unsafe place with crime and poor services
A place that is very dirty and full of trash and bad smells
Something in very bad condition and nearly falling apart
How Unpleasant
- Offensive
∞
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
shithouse + of + an + office
The negative evaluative force comes from the constituent 'shit' (vulgar/polluting) combined with 'house' (place), so a learner who knows the parts could infer a derogatory sense referring to a bad place. However, 'shithouse' is coarse slang and the specific figurative pattern 'shithouse of an X' and its strength/register are idiomatic and culture-bound, so the exact meaning and acceptability are not fully predictable for a B1 learner.
Etymology
The phrase shithouse of an office compares a workplace to a dirty outdoor toilet. The image of a broken, filthy shithouse helps explain why it means 'a very bad or unpleasant office'.