potboiler

[ pot-boi-ler ]

/ ˈpɒtˌbɔɪ lər /

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noun

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

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Origin of potboiler

First recorded in 1860–65; pot¹ + boiler

Words nearby potboiler

potbellied pig, potbelly, potbelly stove, potbelly wood, potboil, potboiler, potbound, potboy, pot calling the kettle black, potch, pot cheese

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use potboiler in a sentence

TV audiences today may recognize him as Senator Edson Davis in the demented ABC political potboiler, Scandal.
Norm Lewis, Broadway’s First Black ‘Phantom,’ on Racism, Heroes, and Dream Roles|Tim Teeman|March 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
For fans of the HBO potboiler True Detective, the opening montage is all-too-familiar.
Sasha Grey on Her Secret ‘True Detective’ Cameo, ‘Open Windows,’ and the Duke Porn Star Backlash|Marlow Stern|March 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I went into the house to fetch the required sum, and, by some means I cannot explain, got to work again upon the latest potboiler.
Mr. Punch in Bohemia|Various
That odious Milord Potboiler amuses himself by making poor Theodore hide in my dressing-room and stand there half the day.
Scenes from a Courtesan's Life|Honore de Balzac

Fanny's First Play, being but a potboiler, needs no preface.
Fanny's First Play|George Bernard Shaw

British Dictionary definitions for potboiler

potboiler

/ (ˈpɒtˌbɔɪlə) /

noun

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

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

potboiler

Origin of potboiler

Words nearby potboiler

Words related to potboiler

How to use potboiler in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for potboiler