Finally, a similar pattern for dessert: Neighbor A moves to Neighbor F's house, joined by Neighbor G.

Neighbors B and C go on to different houses also, but not the same one. After this, Neighbor A moves to a different house, Neighbor D, and is joined by Neighbor E. Although it does require careful and complex planning, the idea is relatively straightforward: for example, Neighbor A makes a starter, and is visited by Neighbors B and C. Typically, this involves the preparation of one course only (a starter, main course or dessert, etc.), and visiting different neighbors for the other courses. One variation is the progressive dinner or safari supper, where a group of neighbors physically move between different houses for each part of the meal. In the United States, potlucks are associated with crockpot dishes, casseroles (often called hot dishes in the upper Midwest), dessert bars and jello salads. Guests may bring in any form of food, ranging from the main course to desserts. In some cases each participant agrees ahead of time to bring a single course, and the result is a multi-course meal. The only traditional rule is that each dish be large enough to be shared among a good portion (but not necessarily all) of the anticipated guests. Smaller, more informal get-togethers with distributed food preparation may also be called potlucks.

Potluck dinners are often organized by religious or community groups, since they simplify the meal planning and distribute the costs among the participants. They only had one pot so they cooked the meal together with whatever ingredients they happened to have that day. The term comes from a time when groups of Irish women would gather together and cook dinner. Everyone participating brought a dish for all to share. To the Irish, a potluck was a meal with no particular menu. The sense 'communal meal, where guests bring their own food', appears to have originated in the late 19th century or early 20th century US, particularly in the Western United States, either by influence from potlatch or possibly by extension of traditional sense of 'luck of the pot'. The word pot-luck appears in 16th century England, in the work of Thomas Nashe, and was there used to mean 'food provided for an unexpected or uninvited guest, the luck of the pot'.

Pot luck meaning