Kitty-corner (Re: the nit and gritty)

[Laurence Horn]

On Aug 7, 2013, at 2:51 PM, Benjamin Barrett wrote:

> FWIW, Wiktionary (http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cater-corner and from resulting links) has the following forms:
>
> cater-cornered, catercorner
> catty-corner, cattycorner, caddy-corner, katty-corner
> catty-cornered, cattycornered, caddy-cornered, katty-cornered
> kitty-corner, kittycorner
> kitty-cornered, kittycornered
> cattywampus, catawampus, kittywampus, skewampus, askew
>
> Benjamin Barrett
> Seattle, WA

--originally, we're told, from "cater" as in "quatre", although I'm not clear on how it got from 'four-cornered' to 'diagonally opposite'.  So the two-stage shift from "cater-cornered" > "catty-/kitty-cornered" > "kitten cornered", if it caught on, would be a bit like "jonakin" > "johnny-cake" > "journey cake", a "correction" or etymythology of an earlier folk-etymology.

LH


>
> Learn Ainu! https://sites.google.com/site/aynuitak1/videos
>
> On Aug 7, 2013, at 10:39 AM, Charles C Doyle <cdoyle at UGA.EDU> wrote:
>
>> But "kitten corner" seems best analyzed not phonologically but just as somebody's effort to render "kitty cornered" in a more formal style.  (There is probably an English teacher somewhere who decrees that the word "kitty" is "incorrect"!)
>>
>> --Charlie
>>
>> ________________________________________
>> From: American Dialect Society [ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] on behalf of Laurence Horn [laurence.horn at YALE.EDU]
>> Sent: Wednesday, August 07, 2013 1:13 PM
>> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> So besides the earlier shifts we've discussed, resulting in "kitten caboodle", "tender lovin' care", "in this day in age", "puss and boots", "black and red fish", "at one's beckon call", "Chip 'n' Dale furniture", "clean shavin'", and of course both "spittin' image" and "spit 'n' image" (from original "spitten image", as we all know), all of which at least have the excuse of preserving the (reduced) phonology, we now have to allow for "nitty" > "nit 'n'"?  Any other reanalyses of this form?  Maybe "kitten corner" as in:
>>
>> "This is a cute little ice cream shop in East Sac, kitten corner from McKinley park. The owner was super helpful and let us try out different flavors."
>> http://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=the+corner+cafe&find_loc=Sacramento%2C+CA&cflt=desserts
>>
>>
>> LH
>>
>> On Aug 7, 2013, at 12:56 PM, Victor Steinbok wrote:
>>
>>> Spotted an interesting version of what seems to mean "at a basic level":
>>>
>>>> To the nit and gritty, it is technically a craft beer, considering
>>>> making a brew is a craft. So, saying that, all brews including the
>>>> ABInBev/SABMiller products would be considered craft.
>>>
>>> This is in a discussion thread of whether some brand does or does not
>>> qualify as "craft beer". The poster is from Kansas, at the moment--don't
>>> know the full history, obviously.
>>>
>>> A quick search shows 110K ghits.
>>>
>>> http://goo.gl/qj7AVd
>>> "The 'Nit and Gritty'"
>>> Tropicana Las Vegas - a DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel: Traveler Reviews
>>>
>>> http://goo.gl/0aY1zs
>>> Christopher Martin Bache. Phenomenology in a Pluralistic Context: Steps
>>> to a Deep Ecology of Mind. p. 288
>>>> The nit-and-gritty complications that are part of constantly stopping
>>>> and restarting our physical existence are set aside in the interest of
>>>> identifying the larger trajectory of our psychospiritual evolution.
>>>
>>> http://goo.gl/4EekSO
>>>> You can't really know about the balance in the game (what is
>>>> overpowered or underpowered) until you fully understand the nit and
>>>> gritty of all the classes and how they affect each other.
>>>
>>> http://goo.gl/iuFQpP
>>>> From coordinating the time in which the "For Sale" sign went up in the
>>>> yard (which I might add looks 100% better than the typical metal "For
>>>> Sale" signs offered by other companies) to the nit and gritty of
>>>> communicating with the buyer and their agent, it was done in a
>>>> professional manner.
>>>
>>> http://goo.gl/IB6XXE
>>>> No fancy edits and flashy transitions, never been interested in that,
>>>> I like to just get to the nit and gritty.
>
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