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Synonyms

catchpenny

American  
[kach-pen-ee] / ˈkætʃˌpɛn i /

adjective

  1. made to sell readily at a low price, regardless of value or use.

noun

plural

catchpennies

  1. something that is catchpenny.

catchpenny British  
/ ˈkætʃˌpɛnɪ /

adjective

  1. (prenominal) designed to have instant appeal, esp in order to sell quickly and easily without regard for quality

    catchpenny ornaments
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. an item or commodity that is cheap and showy

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of catchpenny

1750–60; from phrase catch ( a ) penny

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

We were tucked in a banquette at the Beverly Wilshire, a luxury hotel where Elvis lived in the 1960s, when he was churning out catchpenny musical comedies for MGM and Paramount.

From New York Times • May 25, 2022

The cautionary example of what not to do is Niagara Falls, which, as Henry James kvetched, had become “choked in the horribly vulgar shops and booths and catchpenny artifices.”

From Washington Post • Oct. 28, 2021

The changing room is where they come and go from their catchpenny Armageddon.

From Time Magazine Archive

Viscount Simon said that the discussion was "absolutely dangerous," called the term second front a "catchpenny phrase," based on ill-informed clamor.

From Time Magazine Archive

Rather than teach a series of tricks and tips for momentary success in speaking, as any catchpenny sophist might, Aristotle sought to form a coherent view of why those tips and tricks worked.

From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.