cottage industry
noun
1
: an industry whose labor force consists of family units or individuals working at home with their own equipment
2
: a small and often informally organized industry
3
: a limited but enthusiastically pursued activity or subject
this debate about sex and law became a cottage industry for feminist academics
Wendy Kaminer
Wendy Kaminer
Example Sentences
weaving, pottery, and other cottage industries
Recent Examples on the Web Their quests are fueling a cottage industry of headshot photographers who offer facial-expression coaching and promise to help even the most insecure subjects look and feel great. Callum Borchers, WSJ, 11 Aug. 2022 The race to integrate patient data has spawned a cottage industry of its own. Reza Amin, Forbes, 25 July 2022 This was prohibitively costly for new players in emerging markets, and thus a new cottage industry of player guilds emerged. Leeor Shimron, Forbes, 13 Aug. 2022 No wonder, then, that the cottage industry chronicling the Holmes saga continues unabated, even after the disgraced entrepreneur was convicted of fraud this year. Washington Post, 4 Feb. 2022 The stoking of generational resentment is practically a cottage industry. Next Avenue, Forbes, 15 July 2022 There’s also a cottage industry of YouTube creators who devote hours to unboxing them all. Jennifer G. Sullivan, Allure, 31 Dec. 2021 And with the advent of Instagram and most recently TikTok, there’s been an emerging cottage industry of cosplay influencers who have amassed huge followings on both platforms. Ej Dickson, Rolling Stone, 21 Oct. 2021 There is also a cottage industry of those looking to profit from the notoriety of the case. Ellen Gamerman, WSJ, 30 Sep. 2021 See More
Callum Borchers, WSJ, 11 Aug. 2022 The race to integrate patient data has spawned a cottage industry of its own. Reza Amin, Forbes, 25 July 2022 This was prohibitively costly for new players in emerging markets, and thus a new cottage industry of player guilds emerged. Leeor Shimron, Forbes, 13 Aug. 2022 No wonder, then, that the cottage industry chronicling the Holmes saga continues unabated, even after the disgraced entrepreneur was convicted of fraud this year. Washington Post, 4 Feb. 2022 The stoking of generational resentment is practically a cottage industry. Next Avenue, Forbes, 15 July 2022 There’s also a cottage industry of YouTube creators who devote hours to unboxing them all. Jennifer G. Sullivan, Allure, 31 Dec. 2021 And with the advent of Instagram and most recently TikTok, there’s been an emerging cottage industry of cosplay influencers who have amassed huge followings on both platforms. Ej Dickson, Rolling Stone, 21 Oct. 2021 There is also a cottage industry of those looking to profit from the notoriety of the case. Ellen Gamerman, WSJ, 30 Sep. 2021 See More Word History
First Known Use
1849, in the meaning defined at sense 1