pebbledash
noun

- mortar with pebbles in it, used as a coating for external walls

Oxford English Dictionary

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ORIGIN

Pebbledash (verb = pebble-dashing) is a cheap alternative to stone- and rock-textured exterior plaster pioneered by the Arts and Crafts movement from 1861-1930s. It became very popular in the 1920s and was common up to the 1990s as a “home improvement”.

Pebbledash offers excellent exterior weather-proofing and because it is nearly impossible to remove, it is still widely seen across the UK, especially in coastal areas.

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THE PEBBLEDASH PEOPLE

“Pebbledash people” are a social stereotype identified by political strategists and were thought to be one of the Conservative Party’s target voter groups. The phrase derives from another expression, “pebbledash subtopia”, which is one of 52 postcode categories employed by Experian, one of the key market research analysis firms in the UK.

The firm described pebbledash people as having average household incomes, being likely to read the Daily Mail newspaper, being not very neighbourly, and being keen on so-called DIY, which refers to do-it-yourself projects like “pebbledashing” the outside of the home.

The somewhat negative implication in this description and in the term itself is that pebbledash people are middle-class citizens with little or no interest in modern trends (i.e. bourgeois).

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SMUGGLE OWAD into a conversation today, say something like:

“Next time you find yourself in the UK, keep an eye out for PEBBLEDASH exteriors, but don’t be surprised if the inhabitants don’t fit the market research stereotype.”

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THANKS to Florian for suggesting today’s word!

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HERZLICHEN DANK to all readers helping me keep OWAD alive with single or monthly donations at:

https://donorbox.org/please-become-a-friend-of-owad-3

and,

Paul Smith, IBAN: DE75 7316 0000 0002 5477 40