(PAHT-boy-lurr)

(n.) A literary work of inferior quality, written purely for financial gain

Why do we call it a "potboiler"? It's a relatively recent term, first appearing in English in 1864, and refers to a literary work written solely for money--to, in other words, stock one's cooking pot and keep it boiling.

Reviewer Michiko Kakutani of the New York Times used it recently when writing about the three plot lines in Margaret Atwood's new book, The Blind Assassin:

"The third, which apparently consists of chapters from a potboiler Laura wrote, recounts the furtive affair of a well-to-do woman and her ne'er-do-well boyfriend, who meet in grungy, borrowed apartments and seedy hotels under the constant threat of exposure."