balladmonger

American  

[bal-uhd-mong-ger, -muhng-] / ˈbæl ədˌmɒŋ gər, -ˌmʌŋ- /

noun

1. a seller of ballads.

2. an inferior poet.

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balladmonger British  

/ ˈbælədˌmʌŋɡə /

noun

1. (formerly) a seller of ballads, esp on broadsheets

2. derogatory a writer of mediocre poetry

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Other Word Forms

• balladmongering
  noun

Etymology

Origin of balladmonger

First recorded in 1590–1600; ballad + monger

Explanation

A balladmonger is a seller of verse, either in the form of poetry or music. To be called a balladmonger is often an insult, suggesting that the quality of the verse is low. Just as a fishmonger sells fish, a balladmonger sells ballads — narrative poems or songs. In the 16th through the 19th centuries, balladmongers were street vendors who sold broadsides, large printed sheets with the lyrics of popular songs, poems, or sensational news of the day. Balladmongers often stood on street corners and sang the ballads aloud to attract customers. In a more modern, literary sense, calling someone a balladmonger is a derogatory way of saying their poems or songs are of inferior quality.

Example Sentences

The second Earl was his son, also Henry, who fought at Chevy Chase; he was not, however, slain there, as the balladmonger says, but at St. Albans.

From Highways and Byways in Sussex by Griggs, Frederick Landseer Maur

Let him dwindle into a modish balladmonger; let him worship and be-sing the idols of the time, and the time will not fail to reward him,—if, indeed, he can endure to live in that capacity!

From Life of Robert Burns by Carlyle, Thomas

Jean Francois was a vagabond by nature, a balladmonger by profession.

From Orpheus in Mayfair and Other Stories and Sketches by Baring, Maurice