Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
popty ping

popty ping

9.9
A small kitchen machine that heats food quickly
  • noun
  • /ˈpɒpti pɪŋ/
  • UK
translation icon : microondas
  • I just put the leftovers in the popty ping.

Examples

  • Can you heat that in the popty ping?

  • The popty ping can cook meals in just minutes.

  • I love how the popty ping makes reheating so easy.

  • We bought a popty ping for quick breakfasts.

  • I love how the popty ping makes reheating leftovers so simple.

  • The popty ping is perfect for cooking a quick meal in the evening.

  • We bought a popty ping to help prepare snacks in minutes.

Surface Forms

popty ping singular
popty pings plural

Morphology

popty + ping

Both constituents ('popty' and 'ping') are non‑standard, dialectal items with no transparent English meanings listed, so there is no compositional link to 'microwave oven' that a B1 learner could derive. The expression is humorous and of Welsh origin and functions as slang, making its referent arbitrary and culture‑specific rather than predictable from its parts.

Etymology

Popty ping comes from Welsh words: popty meaning 'oven' and ping from the little sound a microwave makes when it finishes. One popular story says people joined the two words to name the new kitchen machine, so popty ping now means 'microwave oven'.