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

But it is questionable if many people know very much about him after all, or if the Fielding of legend—the potwalloper of genius at whom we have smiled so often—has many things in common with the Fielding of fact, the indefatigable student, the vigorous magistrate, the great and serious artist. 

From Project Gutenberg

It belongs to this freeman, to that potwalloper, to the owner of this house, to the owner of that old wall; and you have no more right to take it away without compensation than to confiscate the dividends of a fundholder or the rents of a landholder.

From Project Gutenberg