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cottage

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shotgun cottage

(chiefly Southern United States slang) A one-story house in which each room is in a straight alignment with the others, connected by a continuous hallway running from the front to the back of the residence. When our whole family goes to stay in my grandmother's shotgun cottage in New Orleans, it always feels like we're all right on top of one another.

See also: cottage, shotgun

cottage industry

1. A small-scale industry carried out by people in their own homes. When my grandmother was a girl, she was part of a cottage industry that made textiles, along with the rest of her family.

2. A small (and often loosely organized) network or business. It looks like you guys have a nice little cottage industry raking leaves.

3. An area of study pursued by a few passionate people. I understand that not everyone is interested in tracing minute details in modernist texts, but it's a cottage industry for a few people in the Master's program, like myself!

See also: cottage, industry