potatoes and point
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.08 in modern English
21
Scrabble Score
16
Letters
3
Syllables
9
Unique Chars
Meaning
Example Sentences
- "I well remember partaking, when a child four or five years old, with other little ones, of the dish referred to, viz., "potatoes-and-point,"—and no meat at all entered into its composition—which consisted of boiled potatoes mashed up with a little milk. […] Every now and then, on the word of command—"Point!"—being given by the nurse, we all pointed our spoons to the ceiling and then fell to again. […] All parents also know how easily young children are enticed into anything like playing at a game, and this "potatoes-and-point" in our eyes almost amounted to one."
- "Many readers will be reminded of the Irish dish "Potatoes and point," consisting of a large supply of potatoes and of a very limited supply of meat, bacon, or even fish."
Etymology
* Relates to pointing with the finger (see 1880 citation), but sources differ: perhaps pointing to the empty space where the meat/fish would be. * Perhaps from point as the punctuation mark (period/full stop) marking termination.