yellowback

[ yel-oh-bak ]

noun

1. (formerly) an inexpensive, often lurid, novel bound in yellow cloth or paper.
2. a gold certificate.

Word History and Origins

Origin of yellowback¹

First recorded in 1790–1800; yellow + back ¹

Example Sentences

You saw what that fellow flashed, a twenty dollar yellowback, a word to Skippy and the Kennedy would follow.

From Project Gutenberg

What a row was kicked up over Miss Braddon's "Octoroon," and what an impossible yellowback it was!

From Project Gutenberg