potwalloper

or pot-wal·lop·er

[ pot-wol-uh-per, pot-wol- ]

noun

, English History.

1. (in some boroughs before the Reform Bill of 1832) a man who qualified as a householder, and therefore a voter, by virtue of ownership of his own fireplace at which to boil pots.

Word History and Origins

Origin of potwalloper¹

First recorded in 1715–25; pot ¹ + wallop (in sense “to boil violently”) + -er ¹( def ), replacing potwaller literally, “potboiler” ( pot ¹ + the obsolete verb wall “to boil, gush,” from Old English weallan “to boil” (intransitive) or wællan (transitive) + -er ¹ )

Example Sentences

It was a good solid piece of bread, and would have served Cæsar the Potwalloper for at least two mouthfuls.

From Project Gutenberg