- landscraper
- n.An imposingly long building, particularly one that houses a commercial enterprise, such as a factory or hotel. Also: land-scraper.Example Citations:To put up almost a mile of space-age, super-luxury grandstand, including a four-block, 11-storey hotel, within 12 months — the "longest landscraper in the world" — and then to establish two different racing surfaces, one turf, one the artificial Tapeta, which won universal approval, is an amazing achievement.—Brough Scott, " Lloyd Webbers win Dubai millions: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/racing/article7078768.ece," The Sunday Times, March 29, 2010But the super structure already has been panned by local author and architectural critic James Howard Kunstler, who has called the building a "landscraper" the size of an aircraft carrier, and compared it unfavorably to a "gigantic brick Yule log" and Darth Vader's mask.—Dennis Yusko, " Skidmore's sounds of music: http://blog.timesunion.com/saratogaseen/skidmores-sounds-of-music/3385/," The Times-Union, December 28, 2009Earliest Citation:Another aspect of the towns we build today is the use of three types of building : the bungalow, the skyscraper and the landscraper (factory) spread out all over the landscape in loose functions of suburb, downtown and industrial zone.— City Magazine: http://books.google.com/books?id=mivkAAAAMAAJ&q=%22landscraper, January 1, 1986 (approx)Notes:Landscraper is the horizontal equivalent of a skyscraper, a term that has had a fun ride through the English language. In the late 18th century it referred to a kind of tall sail, but was subsequently used (with varying degrees of jocularity) to refer to a tall horse, a tall person, a person riding a tall bicycle, a tall hat, and even a tall tale. The "tall building" sense first appeared in the 1880s.Related Words: Category:
New words. 2013.
