dime novel
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of dime novel
An Americanism dating back to 1860–65
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.
For fun: A late-19th-century dime novel offers advice on when not to marry.
From Slate • Jul. 15, 2016
Yet Lansdale has pulled out all the stops to deliver a rip-roaring tale completely in keeping with dime novel traditions and the cinematic hyperbole of "Blazing Saddles" or "Django Unchained."
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 26, 2015
One of Thompson's critics has called him without disparagement "a dime novel Dostoevsky" and there are elements of traditional tragedy in Lou's story of small-town desperation and madness.
From The Guardian • Jun. 5, 2010
With as many shibboleths and countersigns as a dime novel, the Beggars have methods as effective as they are penny-dreadful.
From Time Magazine Archive
“Thank you,” said Philo Gubb, taking the dime novel.
From Philo Gubb, Correspondence-School Detective by Irvin, Rea
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.
