nail house

noun

A private home whose owner refuses to move to clear way for new real estate developments despite offers of small monetary sums from a private developer or expropriation attempts by the government.

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Meanings

nounnail house (plural nail houses)

plural nail houses

  1. A private home whose owner refuses to move to clear way for new real estate developments despite offers of small monetary sums from a private developer or expropriation attempts by the government.

Origin

Calque from Chinese 釘子戶／钉子户 (dīngzihù).

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 釘子戶 /钉子户
  • 釘子戶 /钉子户 (dīngzihù)house whose owner refuses to move to clear way for new real estate developments
Finnish naulatalo
  • naulatalohouse whose owner refuses to move to clear way for new real estate developments
Polish dom gwoździowy
  • dom gwoździowyhouse whose owner refuses to move to clear way for new real estate developments
Cite this entry
APA

nail house. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nail%20house

MLA

“nail house.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nail%20house. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “nail house,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nail%20house.

Source: nail house on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.