potter's clay

American  

noun

1. a clay, suitably plastic and free of iron and other impurities, for use by potters.

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Etymology

Origin of potter's clay

First recorded in 1610–20

Example Sentences

Nietzsche was the Marx of the right, the original culture warrior who believed that the future belongs to those with the courage to face the nihilism of the present and mold it like potter’s clay.

From New York Times • Nov. 20, 2018

Fresh masa has a thicker consistency, more like potter’s clay, and it smells like slightly fermented corn syrup, especially if it sits out for 24 hours before you use it.

From Washington Post • Jul. 13, 2015

When the dust is well shaken out of carpets, if there are any grease spots on them, grate on potter’s clay very thick, cover them with a brown paper, and set on a warm iron.

From The American Housewife Containing the Most Valuable and Original Receipts in all the Various Branches of Cookery; and Written in a Minute and Methodical Manner by Anonymous

It lies at an elevation of about 1030 ft. above sea-level, in a wheat-growing region, in which bituminous coal, limestone, and brick and potter’s clay abound.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 2 "Camorra" to "Cape Colony" by Various

Lamp-Oil can be removed, from floors, carpets, and other articles, by spreading upon the stain a paste, made of fuller's earth or potter's clay, and renewing it, when dry, till the stain is removed.

From A Treatise on Domestic Economy For the Use of Young Ladies at Home and at School by Beecher, Catharine Esther