brick shithouse

[yankee0412]

where does the expression "built like a brick shithouse" come from?

[andy hughes]

Aaah, the wonderful imagary of the English language! The comparison is used to denote someone of considerable size and strength, it probably derives from Victorian public conveniences, which were brick-built and of solid and lasting construction - large numbers of them have only recently been closed and demolished, but let's not get into that area shall we?

[Quizmonster]

In 1976, a book called 'High Flying Birds', by P Cave, contained the following: 'Nothing wrong with it - safe as a brick-built shithouse,' I assured her. That was the very first occasion on which all the elements of your question - though not in exactly your format - ever appeared in print. Later versions are simply modifications of that original.

[ragtime]

The two answers posted above relate to the origin. In common usage, the expression describes a voluptuous woman.

[lankeela]

Most houses used to have a brick built bog at the end of the garden, which presumably needed to be strong enough to withstand the wind(!) and weather, so I always took it to mean something/someone solidly built like the incredible hulk or that rugby player who was on Jonathan Ross, or her wot used to be on Emmerdale .