potboiler

[pot-boi-ler]

noun

1. a mediocre work of literature or art produced merely for financial gain.

potboiler

/ ˈpɒtˌbɔɪlə /

noun

1. informal,  a literary or artistic work of little merit produced quickly in order to make money

Word History and Origins

Origin of potboiler¹

First recorded in 1860–65; pot ¹ + boiler

Example Sentences

I thought, “You know, if we execute this well, it’ll be a really entertaining courtroom potboiler.”

From Los Angeles Times

“Fox” has the bones of a potboiler but is supported by the sinew of the author’s elegant structure and syntax.

From Los Angeles Times

Returning director Toby Haynes calls the original “a perfect script, a neat potboiler,” but describes “Into Infinity” as “maybe the most ambitious ‘Black Mirror’ episode ever made.”

From Los Angeles Times

It’s going to lose to the airport novel papal potboiler?

From Los Angeles Times

And yet it’s a very real possibility after the crowd-pleasing papal potboiler won the SAG Awards’ ensemble prize Sunday night.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• adventure 
• anecdote 
• article 
• autobiography 
• biography 
• book 
• comedy 
• description 
• drama 
• fable 
• fantasy 
• feature 
• fiction 
• history 
• information 
• legend 
• memoir 
• myth 
• narrative 
• novel