rabbit hutch
Literal meaning: a small enclosure for keeping rabbits.
I built a rabbit hutch in the garden.
cramped Japanese housing; tiny houses
Figurative, often derogatory, referring to small, cramped Japanese houses, likened to rabbit hutches. Originated from a 1979 EC report.
Japanese houses are often called rabbit hutches.
Standard mixed kanji-kana spelling.
Full kanji spelling; less common but still used.
Compound of うさぎ (rabbit) and 小屋 (hut, small house). The figurative sense derives from a 1979 European Community report describing Japanese housing as cramped.