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mom and pop

noun

Etymology

Named for the archetypical case in which such a business is run by a self-employed couple with children.

Definitions

  1. A small business, often but not always owned or operated by a family.

  2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically

    Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see mom, and, pop.

    • Also, love for mom and pop.

  3. Alternative form of mom-and-pop.

    • In the past ten years or so, there has been an explosion of restaurants. This is a very welcome development, as the art of fine dining has spread to areas that previously only had mom and pop diners or substandard steakhouses.
    • McDonald’s and Burger King have pretty much wiped out the mom and pop diners; […]
    • Did he eat at local mom and pop diners or national chains?
  4. ›+ 1 more definition

    1. Alternative form of mom and pop.

      • The new supermarkets were killing the Mom and Pops, and centralized purchasing would help them compete.
      • Most of these wineries folded, sold out, or merged with others, although when compared to the Mom and Pops, a slightly higher percentage survived.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for mom and pop. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA