catty-corner

2 7.9

At an angle across the corner of a street or room

adjective
/ˈkætiˌkɔrnər/

: en diagonal

So the cab was one block catty-corner southwest?
sits catty-corner

Examples

The Wedding Chapel is on the Fantasy Deck, catty-corner from the duty-free shop.

Fiction book (2002)
He moved her chairs so they faced each other, catty-corner.

Fiction book (1994)
The hotel stood catty-corner to his previous place of employment.

Fiction book (1998)
The Vaccaros lived in 7C, catty-corner to us in another building, no more than a side-arm toss out our window.

Fiction book (1990)
There was a mall with a donut shop, auto parts, 60 Minute Photo, and a deli, all catty-corner to a huge new Toyota dealership.

Fiction book (1990)
The restaurant is located catty-corner from the city park, providing a great view of the green space.
Her apartment is catty-corner to the grocery store, making it easy for her to shop for essentials.
The old library sits catty-corner to the new community center, attracting many visitors to both places.

Synonyms

kitty-corner

vscatty-corner

1 7.9

Diagonally across the street from another place

is the same sense but differs by word form

catty-cornered

vscatty-corner

1 7.8

On the opposite corner from a place like a shop or house

is the same meaning but uses an alternative ending form

cater-cornered

vscatty-corner

1 8.6

Diagonally across the street at the opposite corner from another building

is the same meaning but uses a different spelling form

catercorner

vscatty-corner

1 8.8

At the corner diagonally across from another place

is the same sense but differs in spelling or form

kitty-cornered

vscatty-corner

1 7.9

A place diagonally across an intersection from another place

is the same meaning but uses a different word form

catawampus

vscatty-corner

Informal

1 9.9

Placed at an angle so it is not straight

focuses specifically on diagonal placement across corners rather than general misalignment

catacorner

vscatty-corner

9.3

At a corner diagonally across an intersection from another place

is the same idea but emphasizes corner placement in spaces

cata-cornered

vscatty-corner

Archaic

9.1

Placed diagonally across from something at the opposite corner

is the same meaning but appears as a hyphenated variant form

Surface Forms

catty-corner positive

Etymology

Catty-corner comes from an old phrase meaning 'four corners' and points to the corner that is across from you on a square, not the one next to you. So catty-corner means 'diagonal' or 'across the corner'.