verb. (colloquial).—1. To walk aimlessly and listlessly; (2) to make a pretence of work; and (3) to dawdle: usually with about. Hence as subs. = a saunter, a slow pace: also POTTERER.
1854. MARTIN and AYTOUN, Bon Gualtier Ballads, ‘The Lay of the Lover’s Friend.’
| He waxes strong upon his pangs, | |
| And POTTERS o’er his grog. |
1857. T. HUGHES, Tom Brown’s School-days, I. 2. Past the old church and down the footpath, POTTERED the old man and the child, hand-in-hand.
1859. G. ELIOT, Adam Bede, xvii. His servants stayed with him till they were so old and POTTERING he had to hire other folk to do their work.
1868. WILKIE COLLINS, The Moonstone, I. xxiii. I … was POTTERING ABOUT the grounds, when I heard my name called.
1870. Bell’s Life, 29 July. It was a day of POTTERING ABOUT—no run worthy of the name, and no kill.
1878–80. JUSTIN MCCARTHY, A History of Our Own Times, xvii. Lord John Russell’s Government POTTERED with the difficulty rather than encountered it.
1884. H. JAMES, A Little Tour in France, xxxix. I … POTTERED ABOUT Beaune rather vaguely for the rest of my hour.
1886. The Field, 27 Feb. The run … degenerated into a POTTER.
1898. BOLDREWOOD, Robbery under Arms, v. You haven’t got to do with the old-fashioned mounted police as was POTTERING ABOUT.
