potboy

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Jump to navigation Jump to search
See also: pot-boy and pot boy

English

[edit]

Alternative forms

[edit]

Etymology

[edit]

From pot +‎ boy.

Noun

[edit]

potboy (plural potboys)

  1. A boy employed in a plant nursery to tap clay pots with a stick for their ringing sound, indicating whether the plant required watering.
    • GC&HTJ 1985 volume 198 page 17
  2. A boy employed as waiter to serve (pots of) drinks, as in a tavern.
    • 2012, Stephen King, 11/22/63, page 782:
      I put on my kitchen potboy disguise and rode down to B-1 in an elevator that smelled like chicken soup, barbecue sauce, and Jack Daniel's.
  3. (British) A boy or man employed in a public house to collect empty pots or glasses.
[edit]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  • Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, Springfield, Massachusetts, G.&C. Merriam Co., 1967