The pot was sitting in a pool of water.

罐子放在水里。

《牛津词典》

Put this bowl of water into the pot.

把这碗水放进锅里。

youdao

I water the pot flowers every day.

我每天浇盆栽花。

youdao

Thus, the frog-in-the-pot-of-boiling-water phenomena would appear to be the operative strategy at play.

FORBES: The Federal Reserve's Explicit Goal: Devalue The Dollar 33%

And so, instead of being confronted with a sudden crisis that prompts real change, South Africa appears to be drifting - sustained by an expanding middle class and buoyant local economy - while the water in the pot keeps getting steadily hotter.

BBC: Zuma's missed opportunity to sell South Africa

Thus Cambodian conspiracy theorists believe Pol Pot was given "bad water" -- poison.

CNN: BEYOND POL POT