noun
dingbat
A cheaply built, boxy apartment building typical of Southern California.
A boxy dingbat offers modest apartments on this Los Angeles street.
Etymology
Dingbat already served as a name for an odd object or ornamental mark. The building use is associated with the decorative motifs attached to otherwise plain apartment fronts, though the naming details are uncertain.
More examples
- Their dingbat has parking spaces beneath the upstairs apartments.
- Several dingbats line the block, each with a plain rectangular shape.
- The dingbat's thin walls reflect its cheap construction.
Forms
dingbat · dingbats
Similar words
- apartment building
- A broader term that does not specify style or location.