Trash-house

noun TRASH-hous ˈtraʃ haʊs

Also spelled trash house, trashhouse

An old-time hut roofed and sometimes walled with dried plant 'trash' — thatch of banana leaves, coconut boughs, or dried grass over a wattle frame. The trash-house was the humble country dwelling of the poor before zinc and board, and it survives in memory and proverb as a symbol of hard, simple beginnings.

  • Long time dem live inna trash-house.

    Long ago they lived in thatched huts.

  • Di trash-house roof leak when heavy rain fall.

    The thatched roof leaked when heavy rain fell.

  • From trash-house him rise to build a big house.

    From a humble thatched hut he rose to build a big house.

From 'trash' (dried plant thatch) + 'house'; the thatched country hut. See [[banana-trash]], [[zinc-fence]].

A thatched-roof hut of dried leaves; the old-time poor dwelling. See [[banana-trash]].