pot liquor
1
7.9
- noun
- /pɑt ˈlɪkər/
- US
:
caldo de pot
- Many Southern dishes use pot liquor from collard greens as a flavorful base.
Examples
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You can use pot liquor to enhance the flavor of sauces.
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The chef saved the pot liquor for the soup.
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After boiling the vegetables, she drank the pot liquor for its nutrients.
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Grandma always saved the pot liquor to make hearty soups.
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I like to use the pot liquor from boiled greens as a base for my soups.
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The pot liquor left after cooking the meat was rich and flavorful, perfect for a stew.
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After cooking the vegetables, I saved the pot liquor to enhance the flavor of my next dish.
Synonyms
76
1.0
A thin tasty liquid made by boiling meat, fish, or vegetables in water, often used for soup
53
1.4
A clear flavored liquid made by slowly cooking meat, bones, or vegetables
16
1.0
A clear warm liquid made by cooking chicken slowly to add flavor to soups
12
1.7
A flavorful liquid made by simmering chicken meat, bones, and vegetables in water for soups and sauces
3
7.5
The liquid left after cooking meat or vegetables used for soups and sauces
1
1.9
A clear liquid made by slowly cooking beef and vegetables in water, used for soups and sauces
1
2.5
A rich liquid you make by cooking beef bones and vegetables slowly for soups and sauces
A tasty liquid left in a pot after cooking vegetables or meat
A tasty liquid left after cooking vegetables that people use as soup or to dip bread
Liquid left in a pot after cooking vegetables that you eat as a salty broth
How Flavorful
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'pot' (a cooking vessel) + 'liquor' (a liquid) yields the liquid remaining in the pot after cooking, so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer the sense. Although the term can be regional (e.g., 'potlikker'), its semantics follow a simple noun-noun composition and are not idiomatic or metaphorical.
Etymology
Pot liquor comes from the simple kitchen picture of the tasty liquid left in a cooking pot, where liquor once meant 'liquid' or 'broth'. People would save that flavorful liquid to make 'soup' or add taste, so pot liquor now means the cooking liquid used for flavor and nutrients.