love in a cottage
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
A marriage for love with- out sufficient means to maintain one's social status. "When poverty comes in at the door, love flies out of the window.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “love in a cottage” mean?
A marriage for love with- out sufficient means to maintain one's social status. "When poverty comes in at the door, love flies out of the window.
Is “love in a cottage” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.