Potluck Dinners
In short: A potluck is a meal where every guest brings a dish, and everyone shares all the food.
In the U.S., a “potluck” is a meal where everyone brings a dish to share. It’s popular for community gatherings, church events, or casual parties. The term comes from the idea that you’re taking the “luck of the pot” with whatever food is available. If you’re invited to a potluck, bring something homemade—or at least a crowd-pleaser like pasta salad!
How to use it
Potlucks are common at offices, schools, churches, neighborhood events and casual parties in the U.S. Bring enough of your dish for several people to try, and it’s polite to tell the host what you plan to bring so there aren’t five salads. Store-bought food is usually fine. “Potluck” can be a noun (“a potluck”) or come before another noun (“a potluck dinner”).
Examples
- Our office is having a potluck on Friday. I’m bringing kimchi fried rice.
- It’s a potluck, so bring a dish to share.
- What should I bring to the potluck dinner?
A common mistake
Don’t arrive at a potluck with nothing, and don’t bring just enough for yourself. The idea is to share, so say I’ll bring a dish to share.
Where it comes from
In England in the 1500s, “pot luck” meant whatever food happened to be in the pot when a guest arrived. The meaning of a shared meal where everyone brings a dish developed later, mostly in the U.S.
Say it out loud
Tabbi Daily gives you one short lesson like this every day. Listen, record yourself and hear how you sound. Free, no account needed.
Source: Lome