SR describes a huge new $20 million house in Coeur d’Alene. The spec-built estate is spec-named Talis. Clearly the marketers gave considerable thought to the name.
1. Per the article, talis is the genitive case of tal in Latin, (‘of such a type’) which apparently acquired the connotation of ‘best of the type’.
2. Unstated by the article, it suggests Taliesin and the house resembles Taliesin.
3. It also suggests talus, a pile of leftovers from mining. CdA was founded by silver miners.
Here’s a nugget I didn’t know before:
Idaho is a nondisclosure state, which means that if someone wanted to buy, keep their name hidden off the property title, they could find a way to do it.
This explains why Idaho has always been a favorite domicile of Hollywood types and tech overlords.
To my eyes the house instantly suggests something less elevated.
Talis:
Dogtrot cabin, original style:
TVA’s modern version, following the rigorous New Deal political necessity of retaining and celebrating local traditions:
The weird double gables suggest some of the 2007 McMansion flips:
Or the double fins on the misbegotten 1958 Packard, a slag pile connoting ‘worst of the type’.
Polistra's Mill 