Space Shuttle pilots themselves referred to it as “The Flying Brick,” I think that is mostly what they were referencing. It was a term of endearment :)
I mean it looks like a brick and it flies
“Steerable brick in an atmosphere”… or the slightly more accurate “orientable brick in an atmospheric reentry regime”…
Kinda like a single control plane missile that spins (rolling airframe?), except... without the control plane lol.