Quote:
[What we're saying is, the thing you are connecting from, as the input to the variable resistor, has to be designed to tolerate having its output (the input to the variable resistor) shorted to ground. Which is what happens when you twist the knob all the way to the left (or right, depending which way round it gets connected).=

No, I'm not saying that. You fasten the full resistance (pins 1-3) across the input (between the input and ground), and take the output from the moving tap (pin 2). Only your circuit's output, not its input, ever gets shorted to ground. The input needs to tolerate being grounded through 90ohm, but any line level circuit should tolerate that. It doesn't need to tolerate being grounded through 0ohm.

Peter