Re: cater-corner (how to spell)

On 07 Jul 2006, Wood Avens wrote
On Fri, 07 Jul 06 08:41:43 GMT, D.C.Wood@xxxxxxxxx (dcw)
wrote:
In article
<1152249549.162629.68930@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
Raymond S. Wise <mplsray@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Something odd I've noticed about "catercornered." At least
three British dictionaries I've consulted identify
"catercornered" as being either a US or North American
usage, but they all give the first vowel in the word as a
long "a" (as in the verb "cater"), which the American
dictionaries I've consulted do not. Instead, US dictionaries
give the word the vowel of "cat."

The only BrE form I've met was used by my father (West
Riding), and sounded like "katie-cornerwise" -- always with
the "-wise", as far as I remember. Certainly a long "a".

I'd never knowngly met this term before this thread, and had
no idea what it meant. I resisted looking it up, because I
expected to gather the meaning from the discussion (and then
maybe get an "Oh, yes, of course -- I remember now" moment).
I've finally succumbed. Now I know what it means, I'm even
more certain I've never met it before.

What would you have called it before reading this thread?
("Diagonally", perhaps?)

--
Cheers, Harvey

Canadian and British English, indiscriminately mixed
For e-mail, change harvey.news to harvey.van

.

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