shithouse

From shit +‎ house. Compare Middle Low German schîthûs, German Scheißhaus, Swedish skithus, Icelandic skíthús.

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shithouse (plural shithouses)

1. (vulgar, informal) An outhouse, an outbuilding used as a lavatory

   Synonyms: craphouse, shitter, (Australia) shouse, (UK) boghouse; see also Thesaurus:bathroom

2. (UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, vulgar, derogatory, slang) A coward: one who is overly fearful or timid.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:coward

3. (slang, vulgar) A filthy place.
   • 1987, Martin Caidin, Exit Earth, page 559:

     You will be less amused when I ask you when you will take your turn cleaning out this shithouse.

   • 2022, Frank McCarthy, LIMA-3: And the Mustang Grunt, page 76:

     It immediately caught my attention that the area was a total shithouse. Open C-ration cans, cardboard boxes, discarded socks and underwear, you name it, it was scattered all over the damn place.

shithouse (not comparable)

1. (UK, Australia and New Zealand, vulgar slang) Of poor quality.

   Synonym: (US) shitty

   • 2005, Eckhard Otto Hardy Marthen, Otto, page 334:

     The stupefied bus driver kept ranting and raving at him. “You could have been stuffed, mate! Once the water splits it would have been the most shithouse moment in your life, and the last one! This beach is for crocs only! […] ”

   • 2010, Brian Cadd, From This Side of Things, page 255:

     The story goes that when she applied for the job, they were fearful of hiring her because she was ‘much more shithouse than them’. I cannot imagine anyone being worse than those two but she did give it a good go.

shithouse (third-person singular simple present shithouses, present participle shithousing, simple past and past participle shithoused)

1. (UK, sports, slang) To engage in persistent unsporting behaviour or gamesmanship; to play in a cynical, ugly manner; to cheat without being punished.
   • 2021, Harry Diamond, “Five times El Cholo’s Atleti sh*thoused their way to famous Champions League wins”, in The Football Faithful:

• shithousery

• Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “shit”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.