# "kitty-corner" or "catty-corner"? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 4, 2011, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kitty-corner-or-catty-corner/577178 "2011-04-04T19:04:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2011, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kitty-corner-or-catty-corner/577178/1 "2011-04-04T19:04:59Z")
Which one do you say? Kitty-corner or catty-corner? ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2011, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kitty-corner-or-catty-corner/577178/2 "2011-04-04T19:10:10Z")
I just say diagonally. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2011, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kitty-corner-or-catty-corner/577178/3 "2011-04-04T19:30:28Z")
Catercorner. ---
**Author:** ![boytyperanma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2011, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kitty-corner-or-catty-corner/577178/4 "2011-04-04T19:40:48Z")
[Previous thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=546465&highlight=kitty+corner) ---
**Author:** ![Max\_the\_Immortal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2011, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kitty-corner-or-catty-corner/577178/5 "2011-04-04T20:19:44Z")
I had no idea that “catty-corner” was a thing. ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2011, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kitty-corner-or-catty-corner/577178/6 "2011-04-04T21:22:54Z")
I’ll join **Sigmagirl** in the “neither” camp. I say “catercorner” (with the “r” elided), on the rare occasions when I use the term. ---
**Author:** ![Chicken\_Fingers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Chicken\_Fingers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chicken_Fingers)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2011, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kitty-corner-or-catty-corner/577178/7 "2011-04-04T21:29:19Z")
In the spirit of compromise, I say kittycatcorner. ---
**Author:** ![TimToyGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a5b964/32.png) [@TimToyGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimToyGeek)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2011, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kitty-corner-or-catty-corner/577178/8 "2011-04-04T22:06:09Z")
I just recently learned a good southern term for the same sentiment, catawampus. I vote for catawampus, because it’s a lot more fun to say. Tim ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2011, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kitty-corner-or-catty-corner/577178/9 "2011-04-04T22:18:35Z")
Kitty-corner. > [@TimToyGeek](#): > > I just recently learned a good southern term for the same sentiment, catawampus. I’ve heard that before, but used to mean “all messed up”. Like “I checked and he’d stuffed them in the bag all catawumpus.” ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2011, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kitty-corner-or-catty-corner/577178/10 "2011-04-04T22:28:46Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > I just say diagonally. Correct ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2011, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kitty-corner-or-catty-corner/577178/11 "2011-04-04T22:33:26Z")
> [@TimToyGeek](#): > > I just recently learned a good southern term for the same sentiment, catawampus. I think that normally means _crooked_, _askew_, even _all f’ed up_. Whereas “kitty-corner” is a specific geometric relationship, and doesn’t connote _wrong_ in any way. ---
**Author:** ![Palo\_Verde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/65b543/32.png) [@Palo\_Verde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palo_Verde)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2011, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kitty-corner-or-catty-corner/577178/12 "2011-04-04T22:35:14Z")
I live on a corner, the house that is over there, not just across that street or the one that is across the other street is the one that is catty-corner to our house. ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2011, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kitty-corner-or-catty-corner/577178/13 "2011-04-04T22:37:23Z")
Another vote for catercorner. Are we not Dopers? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2011, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kitty-corner-or-catty-corner/577178/14 "2011-04-04T22:49:16Z")
I pulled some of the google n-gram files recently, and found that in addition to kitty-corner, catty-corner, and cater-corner, there is also cata-corner in use. In addition, because of the ngram set’s issue with hyphens, you also get kittycorner, etc. Oh, and it can be corner, or cornered. [Usage seems to be all over the map](http://ngrams.googlelabs.com/graph?content=kittycorner%2Ccattycorner%2Ccatercorner%2Ccatacorner%2Ckittycornered%2Ccattycornered%2Ccatercornered%2Ccatacornered%2Ckitty+corner%2Ccatty+corner%2Ccater+corner%2C+cata+corner&year_start=1850&year_end=2000&corpus=0&smoothing=3) ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2011, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kitty-corner-or-catty-corner/577178/15 "2011-04-04T23:02:56Z")
> [@Max\_the\_Immortal](#): > > I had no idea that “catty-corner” was a thing. I thought it was people just screwing up a bit when they meant kitty-corner. ---
**Author:** ![jasonh300](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/46a35a/32.png) [@jasonh300](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasonh300)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2011, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kitty-corner-or-catty-corner/577178/16 "2011-04-04T23:44:01Z")
I always thought of people who say “kitty-corner” the same way I think of people who say “veggies”. I’ve never heard anyone say catty-corner. It’s catercorner, but the r is not usually pronounced. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2011, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kitty-corner-or-catty-corner/577178/17 "2011-04-04T23:53:23Z")
Aha! The pertinent [etymology](http://www.randomhouse.com/wotd/index.pperl?date=19960902) is the Latin “quattuor.” Before finding this, I had summoned exactly the same two words to explain “catawampus.” 🆒 > [@jasonh300](#): > > I’ve never heard anyone say catty-corner. It’s catercorner, but the r is not usually pronounced. In other words… in many voices it sounds like “catty-corner.” ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kitty-corner-or-catty-corner/577178/18 "2011-04-05T00:01:17Z")
Oh, and _Catawampus_ is also a critter. Like a catamount, but more evil and/or mysterious. ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kitty-corner-or-catty-corner/577178/19 "2011-04-05T00:07:38Z")
> [@spark240](#): > > Oh, and _Catawampus_ is also a critter. Like a catamount, but more evil and/or mysterious. It prefers to live in a cave with lots of bats, deep pits, and odd topology. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kitty-corner-or-catty-corner/577178/20 "2011-04-05T00:20:36Z")
> [@jasonh300](#): > > I always thought of people who say “kitty-corner” the same way I think of people who say “veggies”. > > I’ve never heard anyone say catty-corner. It’s catercorner, but the r is not usually pronounced. And I’ve never heard of catty-corner or catercorner until these threads. I’ve only heard (and used) kitty-corner. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kitty-corner-or-catty-corner/577178.md?page=2)