pothook

1. Lit .: An S-shaped hook for suspending a pot or kettle over a fire. 2. Fig .: A letter or character like a pot-hook; especially applied to the elementary characters formed by children when learning to write. (Frequently in the phrase pot - hooks and hangers .) "I long to be spelling her Arabick scrawls and pot . hooks."-Dryden: Don Sebastian , ii. 2.