Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
pot likker

pot likker

9.9
A tasty liquid left in a pot after cooking vegetables or meat
  • noun
  • /pɑt ˈlɪkər/
  • US
translation icon : caldo de pot
  • Don't throw away the pot likker; it's perfect for making soups or gravy.

Examples

  • After cooking the collard greens, she saved the pot likker to serve with cornbread.

  • Many Southern recipes call for drinking the pot likker because it's full of flavor and nutrients.

  • I love to drink pot likker with my cornbread.

  • After cooking greens, the pot likker is rich in flavor.

  • After cooking the collard greens, she poured the pot likker into a bowl to enjoy as a nutritious broth.

  • He always saves the pot likker from his boiled vegetables to use in soups and stews.

  • Adding the pot likker to the recipe enhanced the flavor and provided extra nutrients.

Synonyms

broth
vspot likker
76 1.0

A thin tasty liquid made by boiling meat, fish, or vegetables in water, often used for soup

is the leftover cooking liquid rather than an intentionally made base
stock
vspot likker
53 1.4

A clear flavored liquid made by slowly cooking meat, bones, or vegetables

is the leftover cooking liquid rather than an intentionally simmered base
bouillon
vspot likker
7 6.7

A clear hot broth made by slowly cooking meat, fish, or vegetables in water

is the leftover cooking liquid rather than a deliberately seasoned liquid
liquor
vspot likker
3 7.5

The liquid left after cooking meat or vegetables used for soups and sauces

is the same concept but uses a shorter general label
pot liquor
vspot likker
  • US
1 7.9

Liquid left in a pot after cooking vegetables or meat that is used as a base for soup

is the same meaning but a different common phrasing
potlikker
vspot likker
  • US
9.9

A tasty liquid left after cooking vegetables that people use as soup or to dip bread

has identical meaning but differs in spelling or form
potlicker
vspot likker
  • US
9.6

Liquid left in a pot after cooking vegetables that you eat as a salty broth

shares the same meaning but differs in regional label

How Flavorful

consommé
  • Specialized
2 8.1
stock
53 1.4
pot likker
  • US
9.9
broth
76 1.0

Surface Forms

pot likker singular
pot likkers plural

Morphology

pot + likker

The compound is essentially 'pot' + dialectal 'likker' (from 'liquor' meaning liquid), so a learner who understands 'likker' as 'liquid' could infer it denotes the liquid left in a pot after cooking. However, 'likker' is a regional/archaic spelling and many learners know 'liquor' mainly as an alcoholic beverage; the specialized culinary sense and regional usage make the exact meaning only partially predictable to a B1 learner.

Etymology

The noun pot likker comes from cooking: the pot is the cooking pot and likker is a local way of saying an old word for the leftover 'liquid'. So, pot likker means the tasty broth left in the pot after vegetables or meat are cooked, and people often drink it or use it to add flavor.