See also: slop bowl

English edit

Etymology edit

slop +‎ bowl

Noun edit

slop-bowl (plural slop-bowls)

  1. Part of a traditional tea set, used to empty the cold tea and dregs in tea cups before refilling with hot tea. Usually pottery or silver.
  2. (dated) A container used for urinating or defecating when it is not possible or inconvenient to go to a bathroom or toilet; a bedpan, a chamber pot. Commonly used in hospitals, where it is normally called bedpan. Formerly used in private residences, particularly those without an indoor toilet or bathroom.
  3. (dated) A large teacup, used especially at breakfast time
    • 1858, Anthony Trollope, “Chapter III”, in Doctor Thorne. [], volumes (please specify |volume=I to III), London: Chapman & Hall, [], →OCLC:
      A slop-bowl full of strong tea, together with bread, and butter, and eggs, was produced for him in the morning, and he expected that at whatever hour he might arrive in the evening, some food should be presented to him wherewith to satisfy the cravings of nature; if, in addition to this, he had another slop-bowl of tea in the evening, he got all that he ever required, or all, at least, that he ever demanded.

Synonyms edit

References edit

  • Savage, George, Newman, Harold (1985) An Illustrated Dictionary of Ceramics, Thames & Hudson, →ISBN, page 266
  • Universal Dictionary of the English Language, volume 4, 1897, page 4310