McMansions

I never heard of the term "McMansion" before I met bernie. He told me he previously lived in a McMansion. On a NJ persons fotolog she mentioned McMansions. And the following ensued. (I hate what the McMansion has done to our farmlands in NJ and I am very glad he sold his.) They definately have the odis of being classless and ordinary and definately a large part of how our landscape has been ruined by the nouve riche. What is the obsession with Largeness? STUFF...more of it...and less inside...no substance, no spirit no love no art no beauty no music...

McMansion. The OED deems it a U.S. colloquial term that refers to "a modern house built on a large and imposing scale, but regarded as ostentatious and lacking architectural integrity." Its first usage example comes from the San Diego Union-Tribune on 15 July 1990. More examples can be found here. The always-useful Word Spy, however, argues the word has undergone a shift: where it once referred to cookie-cutter homes, regradless of size, it now refers to the large and imposing houses described by the OED. Word Spy also cites a 17 July 1990 example from the LA Times, a long citation that should be read in its entirety; the OED`s citation defines McMansions only as "move-up homes." Both examples, however, seem to us equally ambiguous about size.]
(from a fotologger in Michigan)
unfortunately, mcmansions are all over the damn place! i grew up in a rural area in michigan, and when i go back to visit, huge parcels of farm land have been turned into subdivisions full of these horrioble structures. who would want to spend that kind of money and live a few feet from their neighbor?! some areas have now begun to pass minimum lot size restrictions... 2 acres where i lived. sorry, but you got me started.........