To be a bit concerned about someone about someone calling my daughter this

[Fashionista22]

We were at a family party and someone that we don’t know very well (but seems was quite friendly and nice) called my daughter a ‘saucepot’. I didn’t think much of it at the time but I googled it later and found out it was a phrase to describe someone being sexy. He’ll be at another event in a couple of weeks..AIBU to find it a bit weird and want to keep more of a distance?

A 'saucepot' is a cheeky child. It's affectionate. It is not sexual. It's not creepy.
I have never heard it used to refer to mixed heritage! That might have been a reference to 'melting pot' from someone who remembers the 1970s.
I'm significantly under 75.
'Sass' is an Americanism. I wouldn't expect older UKers to know it.

My Grandma used to say this to me. Saucey can mean cheeky as well as sexy!

Where I’m from it means cheeky. I think you’re reading too much into it

Fuss over nothing from my perspective!!

Tho it might be used to mean 'sexy' if used against a grownup, for a 2 year old it's clearly just used to mean 'what a little character!'. It's just an expression, quite common. In my family we've called all the little ones 'trouble' or 'little minx' or 'little saucepot' or 'little devil' or 'cheeky monkey' or 'toad' etc etc. All 100% light-hearted, no real meaning behind it at all, just means they're showing a bit of character.

@YesLittleElephant have you really! I stand corrected

I agree with this completely. I've never heard the word used to describe anything other than a young child being cheeky. I think you're being very unreasonable.

Trust your instincts OP. We can debate the precise meaning of “saucepot” all night but if you’re uncomfortable with the way someone is interacting with your child, that’s all you need to know.

Creepiness aside, it’s very common for confident girls to be criticised and undermined by sexist older men whenever the girl displays confidence. This starts young. Whether he’s a creep or merely old fashioned, if someone called my daughter a saucepot or any other put down, I would be demonstrating to her very clearly how to respond. Eg “What a very odd and impolite thing to say. Perhaps it’s best if we go talk to someone else now.”

It doesn't (to me) have sexual connotations, like Sexpot.

To me (65) it denotes a cheeky spirited person

Its always meant both. Context is important.

@EscapeRoomToTheSun I completely agree - you wouldn’t say that to a boy. It’s blatant sexism at best, and sexualisation at worst. Either way, I would steer clear of the MAN who said it.

I know saucy Nancy but no saucy Anna!

The thing is, if you don’t know him very well and it made you feel uncomfortable, for whatever reason, then there’s no reason for you to give him the benefit of the doubt, you don’t owe him politeness or anything. Just keep your distance.

Ive said it to boys, in particular boys because they are more often than not cheeky little saucepots.

Ew!

Given this is Mumsnet Land where all men are vile paedophiles, not surprised by the responses. Meanwhile back in the real world, the balance of probably swings heavily towards this guy, like many people on this thread, thought it meant a cheeky little thing, loads of character, that kind of thing.

I've only ever heard it used to mean sexy, so interesting to know the older meaning was cheeky/sassy.

My DM calls my son a blond bombshell.
She doesn't realize it's a ridiculous thing to say to a child, and especially a boy

She also used to call him another name that's too outing but along the lines of sauce pot til I told her eventually what it now means and that it's not a word used for boys anyway.

I'd put it down to not realizing language has changed

But she hasn't misinterpreted it. She googled it and found that as a definition. As it goes, I though it meant cheeky, but I can see why some think its the same as the OP.
And she isn't the only one, others think it inappropriate. I'd like to think that on this occasion, he meant cheeky. "saucy" can mean cheeky or it can mean sexy, one is appropriate, one is not

I agree. Was this an older person? It never used to mean sexy, it used to mean cheeky, and was used in an affectionate way. My family used to call kids this a lot when I was little. I haven’t heard it for decades.

One thing this site has shown me is just how ill informed and unknowledgeable about a whole host of cultural, historical and colloquial information.

Not only do people not know of it in one of its most common forms, apparently it is also never said to boys!!!

A hot-pot of minxyness that proves near-irresistable to anyone who gets close. There's another word to describe but i forget :/
Holly balls mang, did you see that saucepot? whistle

Person1: We have go for missile launch
Person2: Roger that, launchin.... God damn, check out the saucepot over there!

If a old guyI think it was his way of saying she was a little minx - cheeky

Oh definitely - I’ve heard this used by older generations before and it’s always been meant as in cheeky!

But the OP has never heard the word being used, so if she's then found out that it means 'sexy' then how is she going to feel comfortable with it? If she found the definition that you feel it to be (and for what its worth, I thought it mean the same as you), then she would have felt differently.
OP is entitled to feel the way she does, because she believed it to mean sexy. She is not unreasonable to feel that way

Where I grew up it absolutely meant cheeky. I heard it a lot, so it wouldn't occur to me to think of it meaning sexy.

So yes, regional, and also more likely to be used by someone older. I wouldn't give it s thought, especially if it was said publicly at a family event. No-one is going to use a sexualised term about a two year old in front of her family members.

It's an old fashioned term for cheeky some of my older relatives say it. There is nothing intended. But I find it creepy and have said I don't like it.