mom-and-popadj.n.
/ˌmɒm(ə)n(d)ˈpɒp/, U.S. /ˈmɑm(ə)nˈpɑp/ North American colloquial (originally U.S.).
A. adj.
Designating or relating to a small shop, business, etc., of a type often run by a married couple; (hence) designating any small-scale business or operation, or any person involved in such an operation.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > trading place > place where retail transactions made > [adjective] > relating to shop > types of shop
high streetc1600
co-op1872
multiple1903
fixed price1907
serve-self1909
serve-yourself1909
quick-service1910
self-serve1910
self-service1912
drive-through1918
Army and Navy1919
drive-in1930
one-stop1933
Army-Navy1934
full-service1934
mom-and-pop1942
walkround1950
ma-and-pa1965
pop-up1993
1942 Indianapolis Times 10 Jan. 8/2 Often he is a small employer who is commanded to disemploy his own wife or daughter in a little mom-and-pop store and hire an outsider from the union.
1951 C. W. Mills White Collar i. ii. 30 The hole-in-the-wall business, also known as a Mom-and-Pop store.
1966 Economist 9 July p. xxi/3 ‘Mom-and-pop’ dealers in smaller communities and suburban fringes.
1977 New Yorker 1 Aug. 17/2 To illustrate this point he invited us on a brief tour of the neighborhood to see some mom-and-pop bean-sprout factories where the watering is still done by hand.
1986 Philadelphia Inquirer 11 July (Sports Final ed.) 6 b2 Initially..Omni..was a small ‘mom-and-pop’ operation with just four employees who processed just two or three mortgage applications each week.
1998 Guardian 6 June (Weekend Suppl.) 32/3 Out go the dingy gambling dens, the late-night lock-ins, the mom-and-pop casinos, and up go the mega-resort hotels.
B. n.
A small-scale shop or business, of a type often run by a married couple.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > trading place > place where retail transactions made > [noun] > shop > other types of shop
show shop1787
lock-up shop1795
cash-store1811
boat shop1813
slaughter shop1841
slaughterhouse1851
ticket-shop1851
charity shop1853
magic shop1853
company store1872
Army and Navy1878
five-and-ten1880
farthing-shop1889
funeral home1895
goodwill1916
shop-within-(a)-shop1916
cash and carry1917
Piggly Wiggly1917
poverty shop1948
discount house1949
anchor1960
box store1976
mom-and-pop1976
op shop1978
duty-free1980
pound shop1983
pop-up2000
1976 N.Y. Times 4 Dec. 31/1 According to the Bureau of Census, the number of mom and pops in operation dropped sharply.
1985 Fortune 18 Feb. 51 Some mom-and-pops compete by offering unusual services or products.
1990 Forbes 5 Feb. 40/3 But as sell-through makes its ascent, the rental business appears to be reaching a plateau. Can the mom-and-pops survive?
1993 Newsweek 11 Jan. 48/1 Compared with the moms and pops that dominated the [video rental] industry, Huizenga offered huge selections.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2002; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.n.1942