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Recent Examples of cottarIn 1846 and 1847, potatoes, the subsistence crop of the cottar subtenants who composed nearly half the population on some Hebridean estates, failed almost entirely.—
Hugh Raffles,
The New York Review of Books,
9 Oct. 2020
Coastal-meets-countryside, meaning the brand’s online shelves are well-stocked with pleated shirtdresses, flowing peasant tops, and striped mesh tote bags for housing towels and your newest beach read.
—
Stacia Datskovska,
Footwear News,
2 July 2026
The back-to-the-land aesthetic of peasant skirts, head scarves, and florals seems to seep into fashion at this time of year, but a distinctly folk vibe is now taking over interiors too.
Soon there was an altercation at the front desk, when a Haitian upbraided the American peons about not getting her free stuff fast enough.
—
Howie Carr,
Boston Herald,
8 Oct. 2025
Not only does the peon and con man Tom end up refashioning himself as the rich and carefree Dickie, but Highsmith’s novel itself was a retelling of Henry James’s The Ambassadors.