catty-cornered

7.8

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

adjective
/ˈkætiˌkɔrnərd/

: en diagonal

The park is catty-cornered to the library, allowing children easy access to both the books and the playground.

Examples

The bakery is located catty-cornered from the coffee shop, making it easy to grab a pastry with your morning drink.
She placed the table catty-cornered in the room, creating a unique and inviting layout for the party.
That's his house catty-cornered across.

Valley Inn (2014)
Big Jake inhabited the cubicle catty-cornered to Prince's.

Blog text (23)

Synonyms

catty-corner

vscatty-cornered

1 7.9

At an angle across the corner of a street or room

is the same diagonal idea expressed as an adjective form

kitty-corner

vscatty-cornered

1 7.9

Diagonally across the street from another place

is the same diagonal idea but in a different variant form

cater-cornered

vscatty-cornered

8.6

Diagonally across the street at the opposite corner from another building

is the same diagonal meaning but exists as a different form

catercorner

vscatty-cornered

8.8

At the corner diagonally across from another place

is the same meaning expressed in an alternative form

catacorner

vscatty-cornered

9.3

At a corner diagonally across an intersection from another place

is the shared diagonal sense but differs in exact form

kitty-cornered

vscatty-cornered

7.9

A place diagonally across an intersection from another place

focuses on being positioned across a corner rather than movement

cata-cornered

vscatty-cornered

Archaic

9.1

Placed diagonally across from something at the opposite corner

is the same diagonal sense but differs only in spelling or form

catawampus

vscatty-cornered

Informal

9.9

Placed at an angle so it is not straight

is broader and can mean crooked not strictly diagonal

Surface Forms

catty-cornered positive

Etymology

Catty-cornered comes from an older phrase cater-cornered, where cater comes from a word meaning 'four' (think of 'quarter'). So it originally meant at the 'fourth' corner, and that's why catty-cornered means 'diagonally across' from something.