How does water escape the pot?

[xtempore]

I was cleaning up the kitchen, and there was a large pot that had been filled with water to soak in the sink. A rectangular nylon pot scrubber was hanging over the side of the pot, about 2/3 in the pot and 1/3 hanging out.

As I ran the tap, the pot filled up and overflowed, but even after the water had levelled out a steady stream of water continued to flow from the outside corner of the pot-scrubber. Eventually, the stream slowed, then became a steady drip, and after several minutes it completely stopped, by which time the water level in the pot was around 20mm below the top edge, and roughly level with the corner of the pot scrubber from where the water had been dripping.

So, I have two questions...

1. How does this work?
2. How do I explain to my wife why I haven't finished cleaning the kitchen?

 

[Nidum]

1 Wick syphon .

2 Unsolvable problem .

 

[JLT]

interesting - so a syphon without a tube? where the surface tension is the tube? I wonder if you could calculate the surface tension based on the final water level?