Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. a sycophant, a contemptible person, also attrib.

[c.1580		Polwart Invectiues Capitane Allexander Montgomeree and Pollvart in Parkinson (Poems) (2000) IX line 61: Tyk stikker, spewd viccer, pot likker, I man pay thee].
1830		A.N. Royall Mrs. Royall’s Southern Tour I 78: This was said like a man, and never came into the heads of pot-lickers and scrubs [DA].
1884		McCook Wkly Trib. (NE) 27 Nov. 6/1: ‘A nasty, lazy, trifflin’, pot-licker nigger,’ said Aunt Dinah.
1888		Springfield Dly Republican (OH) 25 Aug. 6/5: De big fellows gits up in de pulpit like yo’self, but we little fellows we stand on de floor, an’ dey calls pot-licker preachers.
1906		Roswell Dly Record (NM) 27 July 2/2: The pot-licker of the Republican organ has written an article [...] so smooth [...] remarking that ‘comparisons are odious’.

2. (US/W.I.) a mongrel, kept as a watchdog and allowed to forage for its food.

1919		Richmond Dly Register (KY) 1 Mar. 4/6: Mr Frank Goff [...] bought several [...] fox hounds of the Pot Licker type.
1922		Woman’s Enterprise (Baton Rouge, LA) 15 Dec. 12/5: John Morrison [...] did not disdain to study the points of ‘pot licker stock,’ as the hybrid hounds of the country are called.
1932		V. Randolph Ozark Mountain Folk 223: Jethro was splitting wood as I rode into his little clearing, heralded by the clamor of a great number of pot-licker dogs [DA].
1947		Democrat 30 Oct. 4/3: A hound is a hound, regardless of whether he is July, Red Bone, Walker, potlicker or jut plain hush-puppy [DA].
1953		T. Runyon In For Life 15: He wasn’ much of a dog [...] just a plain old West Virginia pot-licker.
1989		R.G. Barrett Boys from Binjiwunyawunya 94: [of a greyhound] I told you that pot licker of Ronnie’s was a goer.