rubes sez, “Kiddie corner refers to a diagonal movement, similar to a child who does not follow the sidewalk but rather goes diagonally across the corner…”
I say that “kiddie corner”,
Is not a word, but a midwestern colloquialism.
It is taken from the real word, cattycorner.
We had a big argument about this at lunch today. My friend Heather (Minnesotan) agrees that it is a colloquialism… I showed rubes the dictionary entry, but he still doesn’t believe me.
Come on guys, help me eradicate the ignorance of rubes!
It is much easier to see ourselves as better than or even worse than, rather than accepting that we simply are. - John “The Penguin” Bingham
Sorry hon but I have to agree with Rubes on this one. If I were to say I’ll meet you at the store that is kiddy corner to my house, that would be diagonally across
I opened the door, and look who I found. Damn I’m good
I’ll have to disagree with the lot of you. It’s cater-corner. Cater (long a) is an obsolete term meaning four. I can see how the word could transform to catty-corner (cat->catty), from there to kitty (cat->kitty, mix in original cater). They changing to kiddie by some mishearing.
You are all wrong! The word is “catercorner”. “Cattycorner” is bastardization that has gained acceptance over many years, and “Kittycorner” isn’t even a word as far as I’m concerned. “Cater” meaning diagonal comes from the Latin “quattuor” meaning (I think) a fourth (of a square) or a corner. So it means corner-corner. Go figure!
Elmer J. Fudd,
Millionaire.
I own a mansion and a yacht.
I have to put my vote in for “kitty-corner”, even though I know the word is really cater-corner. It’s just one of those idioms that gets jumbled until the wrong words sound like they are right.
When I was in Arkansas on vacation this summer, the nice store owner in Eureka Springs explained to us how the restaurant we were looking for was “cattywampus” across the street.
That has become my word of choice to describe the “catercorner” idea.
Quand les talons claquent, l’esprit se vide.
Maréchal Lyautey
I say kittycorner, but I never write it (until now), so I don’t know how I spell it.
I’m born and raised in Michigan.
I’m not entirely certain what the question is. Are you asking how we pronounce it, how we spell it, or what it means, or if it’s a real word, or if it’s a midwestern thing?
Since I’m not certain what the questio is, I’ll let you decide whether I agree with Rubes or Canthearya or Heather or no one. And as an aside: ever since that one thread, I mentally pronounce it can-the-area :D.
