"potatoes and point" means: A simple meal of potatoes only, or very little else.. This is a fairly neutral word with no inherent risk attached. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than something dangerous. If your child uses it, context will usually make the meaning clear. A brief, curious question about where they heard it is generally enough to know whether to follow up.
potatoes and point
(humorous, Ireland, obsolete) A simple meal of potatoes only, or very little else.
Etymology timeline
Born ~1880 · no dated citations yetDefinitions
(humorous, Ireland, obsolete) A simple meal of potatoes only, or very little else.
"potatoes and point" means: A simple meal of potatoes only, or very little else.. This is a fairly neutral word with no inherent risk attached. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than something dangerous. If your child uses it, context will usually make the meaning clear. A brief, curious question about where they heard it is generally enough to know whether to follow up.
"potatoes and point" means: A simple meal of potatoes only, or very little else.. Register: neutral, standard English, usable in most everyday contexts. Note the regional or dialect label (obsolete) — usage may sound odd outside that variety. A common non-native mistake is to use the word in the wrong register, or to assume one fixed meaning when it is actually polysemous; always check the surrounding register and the audience before producing it yourself. In formal writing, prefer a neutral synonym or a short descriptive phrase, and use this word only when you have heard or read it being used naturally in a comparable context.
Comments
For specific readers
Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
Have a better definition?
Add your own interpretation of "potatoes and point".
🗺️About Regional & Other slang
Regional slang from around the English-speaking world — British, Australian, Irish, Caribbean, Nigerian, Filipino, AAVE, and the hyphenated-English dialects that make the internet sound local.
See all Regional & Other slang on Slangora.
Tags
Other words near "potatoes and point" (P)
Browse all slang words starting with P.
Related terms
People also read
Semantically related
- 64%
(UK, Irish) A baked potato.
- 63%
(obsolete, slang) A potato.
- 62%
(dated, Ireland, slang) A potato.
- 62%
(Internet slang, of a video or image) Of exceptionally poor quality; low-resolution, grainy, or blurry.
- 61%
An obsolete, ironic British slang term for a potato, playing on the historical stereotype of Irish dependence on the potato as a food staple. The term dates from a period when anti-Irish sentiment was widespread in Britain, and reflects the cultural shorthand that conflated Irish identity with potato farming and consumption. It is entirely archaic and would now be considered ethnically offensive. It appears in historical dictionaries and texts about British slang but has no living usage.