Potboiler

Word of the Day for Saturday March 12, 2005

potboiler \POT-boi-lur\, noun:
A usually inferior literary or artistic work, produced quickly
for the purpose of making money.

The play was a mixed blessing. Through it O'Neill latched
on to a perennial source of income, but the promise of his
youth was essentially squandered on a potboiler.
--Jane Scovell, [1]Oona. Living in the Shadows

If reading and travel are two of life's most rewarding
experiences, to combine them is heavenly. I don't mean
sitting on a beach reading the latest potboiler, a fine
form of relaxation but not exactly mind-expanding.
--Stephen Kinzer, "Traveling Companions," [2]New York
Times, April 19, 1998
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Potboiler comes from the phrase "boil the pot," meaning "to
provide one's livelihood."


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Very quickly poorly made window display art...


cheaply made merchandise on a cheap display-but sells tons!


cheap poorly made tchatchkes




cheap quick turn around books, with surprise errors in them...


Art about an art show, quickly made to simply sell the attraction. something weirdly wrong about that