potboiler

noun

pot·boil·er ˈpät-ˌbȯi-lər

: a usually inferior work (as of art or literature) produced chiefly for profit

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Potboiler draws its meaning from what was once the heartbeat of the home, the hearth and its boiling pot. In the days before modern conveniences, it was essential to maintain a fire within a home's hearth for warmth and domestic activities. In order "to make the pot boil" or "to keep the pot boiling" for cooking, one needed fuel, and to acquire fuel one typically needed an income. When artistic and literary works, especially inferior ones, became the means of keeping the pot boiling in some homes during the 19th century, it didn't take long for the literati to criticize such works as insignificant potboilers.

Examples of potboiler in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The series struggles from the start to balance its potboiler thrills with family drama, however, and by the second half is getting lost in its own weeds. —

Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019 Although the show embraces some of the potboiler trappings of its source — Dashiell Hammett’s 1930 detective novel — Frank and Fontana elevate the material with espionage thrills and international intrigue while weaving in the sociopolitical tensions of mid-century Europe. —

Thomas Floyd, Washington Post, 17 Jan. 2024 The Arctic panoramas are almost a character themselves, but the show takes a strange turn mid-season into sci-fi/horror that might disappoint potboiler aficionados and procedural purists. —

David Faris, theweek, 14 Jan. 2024 Curators tell stories, and the Met could use more with a potboiler sensibility. —

Brian T. Allen, National Review, 21 Dec. 2023 See all Example Sentences for potboiler

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'potboiler.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.