Casa Mata and other estateagentspeak..!
Sep 7th 2010, 11:33 am
#16
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Re: Casa Mata and other estateagentspeak..!
I suspect (after 10 years in Andalucia that casamata is an Andaluz word stemming from the same place we get our old word "casemate" which was part of the defensive structure of a castle.
What a casamata is is an old village house, usually joined to others, and it might be that they were originally meant (back in the days of the Moors) to be easily defended. Thick walls, small windows and doors and a handy roof-terrace for chucking things down at the invader.
"Adosados" literally means two-by-two I think meaning a semi-detached.
What I have never understood is the difference between a Piso and an Apartmento - they seem to be interchangeable.
What a casamata is is an old village house, usually joined to others, and it might be that they were originally meant (back in the days of the Moors) to be easily defended. Thick walls, small windows and doors and a handy roof-terrace for chucking things down at the invader.
"Adosados" literally means two-by-two I think meaning a semi-detached.
What I have never understood is the difference between a Piso and an Apartmento - they seem to be interchangeable.
Sep 7th 2010, 1:57 pm
#17
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Re: Casa Mata and other estateagentspeak..!
The Dictionary of the Spanish Academy gives Casamata as meaning a Fort, Bunker or similar capable of hosting two or more pieces of artillery.
Casemate is very similar 16C from French, from Italian Casamatta.
The question however related to "Casa Mata" ie 2 words.
House and any of the following:
Noun
1. Small bush (arbusto), shrub, undershrub. (f)
2. Sprig (ramita), blade. (f)
3. Grove, a cluster of trees of one species, copse. (f)
4. The mastic-tree. (f)
5. Lock of matted hair. (f)
6. Piece of ore only partly fused. (f)
7. Field, plot. (Agriculture & gram) (f)
•Mata de olivos -> field of olive trees8. Mata de pelo, head of hair. (f)
•Mata rubia -> kermes oaknoun
Verb
1. Game at cards. (f)
2. MATARRATA. The Purgatories
3. Slaughter as in Matador.
Jim
Sep 7th 2010, 5:40 pm
#18
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Re: Casa Mata and other estateagentspeak..!
Well since both home owners (private sales ads) and agents (web ads) use Casa Mata and Casamata seemingly at random, probably none of us are much the wiser other than the possible boiling oil from a great height syndrome. Anyway I get the picture - not a place with a great deal of outdoor space except on the roof!
Dec 6th 2010, 3:48 pm
#19
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Re: Casa Mata and other estateagentspeak..!
Bump required... (if you know what I mean)
what's a pareado if it's not exactly the same as an adosado? Is the English language the only one rich or verbose enough to distinguish between all the housing possibilities? !
) what's a pareado if it's not exactly the same as an adosado? Is the English language the only one rich or verbose enough to distinguish between all the housing possibilities? !
Last edited by fionamw; Dec 6th 2010 at 3:52 pm. Reason: doh!
Dec 6th 2010, 3:57 pm
#20
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Re: Casa Mata and other estateagentspeak..!
"Pareado" means that the house is one of two semidetached houses - i.e. it has 3 'free' walls and one common wall with the other house, "adosado" however means that it can be one of many houses in a row with two 'free' walls - i.e. terraced house.
Another word for "pareado" is "semiadosado".
It's true that sometimes people say "adosado" when they mean "pareado", probably to stress the idea it's not a detached house, but they will never say "pareado" when they mean "adosado".
Another word for "pareado" is "semiadosado".
It's true that sometimes people say "adosado" when they mean "pareado", probably to stress the idea it's not a detached house, but they will never say "pareado" when they mean "adosado".
Dec 6th 2010, 4:24 pm
#21
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Re: Casa Mata and other estateagentspeak..!
Ok. Quite a clear answer, thanks. Helps not a jot though cos the estate agent in question appears to charge significantly more for pareado than adosado so maybe they say it the other way round!!!!!!!!!
Dec 6th 2010, 4:34 pm
#22
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Re: Casa Mata and other estateagentspeak..!
Semi-detached houses (pareados) are usually bigger and more expensive than terrace houses (adosados)
Dec 6th 2010, 6:05 pm
#23
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Re: Casa Mata and other estateagentspeak..!
Yes, that's right, you'd expect to pay more for a semi detached than a terraced house.
Dec 6th 2010, 6:17 pm
#24
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Re: Casa Mata and other estateagentspeak..!
Yes... sorry. Confusing myself these days...
