† overhouseadj.
Obsolete.
Of telegraph wires: passing over and supported by the roofs of houses (instead of by posts).
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > telecommunication > telegraphy or telephony > [adjective] > types of line
overhouse1859
open1876
quad1931
1859 Town Talk 26 Mar. 566/2 The completion of the overhouse line of telegraph uniting her Majesty's Printing Office, Fleet Street, and the..House of Lords.
1876 W. H. Preece & J. Sivewright Telegraphy 226 In large towns, where it becomes impossible to plant poles for the support of the wires, overhouse telegraphs are had recourse to.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2004; most recently modified version published online December 2019).
overhousev.
/ˌəʊvəˈhaʊz/, U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈhaʊz/ transitive. To provide with housing in excess of an occupant's requirements or means. Chiefly reflexive and in passive.
ΘΚΠ
society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabiting a type of place > inhabit type of place [verb (reflexive)] > inhabit house > type of occupation
overhouse1863
1863 W. M. Thackeray Let. 23 Sept. in J. Brown Lett. (1907) 332 If I don't mistake there was a man who lived at Abbotsford [sc. Sir W. Scott] overhoused himself.
1887 Spectator 5 Mar. 318/2 A doctor is always over~housed from professional necessities.
1921 Spectator 26 Feb. 261/1 Young people marrying on little and determined not to ‘overhouse’ themselves.
1963 Guardian 8 Mar. 4/4 Many of the chronic invalids were overhoused in that they were not able to make full use of their accommodation.
1999 Guardian (Nexis) 18 Dec. 4 Our experience is that the landlord who overhouses his labourers..receives little or no gratitude in return.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2004; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.1859
v.1863