Etymology

flophouse

F4L1O1P3H4O1U1S1E1

Today it means: A cheap hotel or boarding house where many people sleep in large rooms. Full definition →

First used 20th c.
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The story

From flop + house, originally hobo slang, presumably from slang flop (“lie down to sleep”).

First known use, by meaning

  • from 20th c. A cheap hotel or boarding house where many people sleep in large rooms.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.