# Who put the 'Crock' in Crockpot?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-put-the-crock-in-crockpot/198631>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 30, 2003, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-put-the-crock-in-crockpot/198631 "2003-08-30T14:52:38Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 12\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![ParentalAdvisory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@ParentalAdvisory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParentalAdvisory)\
**Post date:** [August 30, 2003, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-put-the-crock-in-crockpot/198631/1 "2003-08-30T14:52:38Z")

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So where did the name crockpot come from?

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**Author:** ![Scruloose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@Scruloose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scruloose)\
**Post date:** [August 30, 2003, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-put-the-crock-in-crockpot/198631/2 "2003-08-30T15:04:11Z")

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From [www.dictionary.com](http://www.dictionary.com) :

**Crock-Pot**  
A trademark used for an electric cooker that maintains a low temperature. This trademark often occurs in print in lowercase without a hyphen.

So it appears, that a company called Crock did.

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**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\
**Post date:** [August 30, 2003, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-put-the-crock-in-crockpot/198631/3 "2003-08-30T15:08:29Z")

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Then too, the fact that the crock-pot is a piece of [crockery](http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=crockery) might have something to do with its name.

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**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\
**Post date:** [August 30, 2003, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-put-the-crock-in-crockpot/198631/4 "2003-08-30T15:11:02Z")

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A pot is a “rounded metal or earthenware container” and a crock is a “thick earthenware pot” (Merriam-Webster _Collegiate_). You can take it from there.

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**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\
**Post date:** [August 30, 2003, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-put-the-crock-in-crockpot/198631/5 "2003-08-30T17:53:35Z")

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Crock Pot™ is a registered trade mark of the Rival Corporation, a maker of small appliances since 1932. They invented it in 1971, and it has been the most popular choice for wedding gifts ever since.

[http://www.crockpot.com/support\_files/about.asp](http://www.crockpot.com/support_files/about.asp)

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**Author:** ![ParentalAdvisory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@ParentalAdvisory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParentalAdvisory)\
**Post date:** [August 30, 2003, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-put-the-crock-in-crockpot/198631/6 "2003-08-30T18:16:32Z")

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Very informative, thanks for the replies.

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**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\
**Post date:** [August 30, 2003, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-put-the-crock-in-crockpot/198631/7 "2003-08-30T20:48:14Z")

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I’m now curious about why the question was asked. As “seed money” was it in any way tied to the expression, “What a crock!” used about things you don’t believe?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ParentalAdvisory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@ParentalAdvisory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParentalAdvisory)\
**Post date:** [August 30, 2003, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-put-the-crock-in-crockpot/198631/8 "2003-08-30T21:06:03Z")

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Now that you mention it, what is a crock exactly? (as in “What a crock!”)

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**Author:** ![chaoticbear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@chaoticbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chaoticbear)\
**Post date:** [August 30, 2003, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-put-the-crock-in-crockpot/198631/9 "2003-08-30T21:10:27Z")

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short for a “crock of shit” i think

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**Author:** ![Scruloose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@Scruloose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scruloose)\
**Post date:** [August 30, 2003, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-put-the-crock-in-crockpot/198631/10 "2003-08-30T21:12:18Z")

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From [Dictionary.com](http://Dictionary.com):

1. Slang. Foolish talk; nonsense: That story is just a crock.

* * *

[Middle English crokke, from Old English crocc. Sense 2, from crock of shit.]

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ParentalAdvisory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@ParentalAdvisory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParentalAdvisory)\
**Post date:** [August 30, 2003, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-put-the-crock-in-crockpot/198631/11 "2003-08-30T21:13:59Z")

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…so an earthenware pot…, full of shit. I see, I see.

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**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\
**Post date:** [August 30, 2003, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-put-the-crock-in-crockpot/198631/12 "2003-08-30T23:13:10Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> …so an earthenware pot…, full of shit.

When come back, bring [po](http://www.infoplease.com/ipd/A0593307.html).