cater-corner
(UK, _, dialect, obsolete) Uneven, not square, as mislaid stones or people with a limping gait.
Etymology timeline
Born ~1838 · no dated citations yetDefinitions
(UK, _, dialect, obsolete) Uneven, not square, as mislaid stones or people with a limping gait.
Comments
(US, Canada) Diagonally across from.
"cater-corner" means: Diagonally across from.. This is a fairly neutral word with no inherent risk attached. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than something dangerous. If your child uses it, context will usually make the meaning clear. A brief, curious question about where they heard it is generally enough to know whether to follow up.
"cater-corner" means: Diagonally across from.. Register: neutral, standard English, usable in most everyday contexts. Note the regional or dialect label (US) — usage may sound odd outside that variety. A common non-native mistake is to use the word in the wrong register, or to assume one fixed meaning when it is actually polysemous; always check the surrounding register and the audience before producing it yourself. In formal writing, prefer a neutral synonym or a short descriptive phrase, and use this word only when you have heard or read it being used naturally in a comparable context.
Comments
(US, Canada) Of or pertaining to something at a diagonal to another; of four corners, those diagonal to another.
Comments
Used in
Have a better definition?
Add your own interpretation of "cater-corner".
⚡About Tech, Dev & AI slang
The vocabulary of software engineers, AI researchers, and anyone living in a terminal or on GitHub — from LLM to MCP, CORS to vibe coding, agentic to enshittification.
See all Tech, Dev & AI slang on Slangora.
Tags
Other words near "cater-corner" (C)
Browse all slang words starting with C.