Word.ws English Dictionary

keeping the pot boiling

keeping the pot boiling is the present participle and gerund of keep the pot boiling.

Meaning of keep the pot boiling

Verb

keep the pot boiling (third-person singular simple present keeps the pot boiling, present participle keeping the pot boiling, simple past and past participle kept the pot boiling)

  1. (idiomatic) To maintain one's livelihood; to continue to procure the necessities of living.
  2. (idiomatic) To continue going on actively, as in certain games.
    • Of course, you intend to reach game eventually; on the next round you can keep the pot boiling with Three Diamonds.1969, Terence Reese, Albert Dormer, How to play a better game of bridge, page 42

Questions about keeping the pot boiling

What is keeping the pot boiling the present participle and gerund of?
Keeping the pot boiling is the present participle and gerund of keep the pot boiling.

Words near keeping the pot boiling in the dictionary

  1. keeping the flag flying
  2. keeping the home fires burning
  3. keeping the lights on
  4. keeping the pace
  5. keeping the peace
  6. keeping the pot boiling
  7. keeping the powder dry
  8. keeping the show on the road
  9. keeping the wolf from the door
  10. keeping time
  11. keeping to

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: keeping the pot boiling (page history and authors); keep the pot boiling (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this entry: “keeping the pot boiling.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/keeping_the_pot_boiling. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.