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 c.1809. Edgeworth, Absentee, x. 'A glass of what?' 'Potsheen, plase your honour; beca-ase it's the little whiskey that's made in the private still or pot; and sheen it's a fond word for whatsoever we'd like, and for what we have little of, and would make much of.

1836. M. Scott, Tom Cringle's Log, ii. Staggering and swaying about under the influence of the poteen.

Pot-hooks, subs. phr. (military).—The Seventy-seventh Foot, now the 2nd Batt. Duke of Cambridge's Own (Middlesex Regiment). [From the resemblance of the two sevens in the old regimental number to pot-hooks.]

Pot-hooks and hangers, subs. phr. (colloquial).—1. The elementary characters formed by children when learning to write. Hence, a scrawl, or bad writing.—B. E. (c.1696); Grose (1785). [Cf. Flesh-hooks (c.1321, Rel. Antiq. i.) = notes of music]

1690. Dryden, Don Sebastian, ii. 2. I long to be spelling her Arabick scrawls and pot-hooks.

1772. Bridges, Burlesque Homer, 469. If ever I such a pack of pot-hooks saw. What language does he write?

1821. Egan, Life in London, 11. v. Whose to understand it? Vy it's full of POTHOOKS AND HANGERS.

2. (old).—Shorthand.

Pot-house (The), subs. phr. (Cambridge).—St. Peter's College: formerly Peterhouse.

1891. Harry Fludyer, 85. I made a shot and said 'Pothouse.' He said, 'I suppose you mean St. Peter's College.'

See Pot, subs. 1.

Potion. See Bitter Pill.

Pot-hunter. See Pot, verb 3, and Pot-luck.

POTLE-BELL. To RING THE POTLE-bell, verb. phr. (Scots').—To confirm a bargain by linking the little fingers of the right hand.

POT-LUCK, subs. phr. (old colloquial).—Whatever is going in the way of food and drink; an impromptu invitation; whence, a hearty welcome: TO TAKE POT-LUCK = to take the hazard of a meal. Hence pot-hunter = a self-invited guest.

1593. Nashe, Strange Newes [Grosart, Works, ii. 242]. This greedy pothunter after applause, is an apparent Publican and sinner; a selfe-loue surfetted sot. Ibid. (1600), Summers Last Will [Grosart, Works, vi. 131]. We had but even pot-luck, a little to moysten our lips, and no more.

1749. Smollett, Gil Blas [Routledge], 71. He then offered us his crusts, and asked with a smile if we would take potluck with him.

1772. Graves, Spiritual Quixote, xix. xii. He should be very welcome to take pot-luck with him.

1814. Saxon and Gael, i. 55. If you and my Leddy Mary, wad come in a canny way, and tak pat-luck wi' Jean and me I gie nae dinner ae day but what I can gie ilka day in the year.

1837. Barham, Ingoldsby Legends (1862), 248. Quoth the Lady, 'Dear Sir, no apologies, pray, You will take our pot-luck in the family way.'

1857. Thackeray, Virginians, lxxvi. "What! come to take pot-*luck with us, Brown my boy? Betsy! put a knife and fork for Mr. Brown. Eat! Welcome! Fall to! It's my best!"

1858. G. Eliot, Amos Barton, i. He never contradicted Mrs. Hackit, a woman whose pot-luck was always to be relied on.

1870. Chambers's Miscellany, No. 87, 6. "I'm going home to dinner, and you must take pot-luck with us."

1891. Harry Fludyer at Cambridge 38. I decided to accept a very kind invitation from Blofield to take pot-luck with him and Mrs. Blofield yesterday in Grosvenor Gardens.