A Crock Is a Pot, and a Crock of Something Else
A crock is an earthenware pot. In slang it also means nonsense, or a worn-out person or vehicle.
A crock is an earthenware pot or jar. It leads two other lives. In British slang a crock is something worn out — an *old crock* is a decrepit car or a person past their best. In American slang *a crock* means nonsense, a polite shortening of a much cruder phrase. The Crock-Pot, the slow cooker, is a trade name built on the original pot sense: it cooks in a ceramic crock.
- An earthenware pot. *A stone crock.*
- A worn-out thing (British). *An old crock.*
- Nonsense (American slang). *That's a crock.*
- Crockery — pottery dishes. *Wash the crockery.*
- Crock of gold — the pot at the rainbow's end. *A crock of gold.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | crock | A large crock. |
| Plural | crocks | Old crocks. |
| Noun | crockery | Chipped crockery. |
| Compound | Crock-Pot | A slow cooker. |
| Old English | crocc | A pot. |
- Butter was kept in a stone crock.Container.
- He drives an old crock.British informal.
- Crockery means plates and dishes.Related noun.
Where crockery comes in
- Crock — the pot itself
- Crockery — everyday pottery dishes, British
- Earthenware — porous fired clay, glazed to hold liquid
- Stoneware — fired hotter, non-porous
- China or porcelain — the finest and thinnest
Old English *crocc*, a pot, from a Germanic root shared with Dutch *kruik* and German *Krug*.
What does an old crock mean?
British informal for a worn-out car, or an infirm person. It is affectionate more often than cruel.
Why is a slow cooker called a Crock-Pot?
It is a trade name. The inner cooking vessel is a ceramic crock, the original meaning of the word.