pot boiler
English
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pot boiler
Where it comes from
The figurative sense comes from the notion that the writer's or artist's output is enough to provide sustenance; compare breadwinner, put food on the table, and keep the lights on.
noun pot boilers · potboiler · pot-boiler
- A creative work of low quality (book, art, etc.), produced merely to earn a living or for profit, as opposed to serious creative expression. Arists and novelists of a certain stamp joke about ‘pot-boilers’, the name facetiously given to hasty, worthless pictures and books[…]
- A stone used to transfer heat from a fire into a vessel of water, so as to heat the contents.
Translations
Talk about this word "pot boiler." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/pot%20boiler. Accessed 7 Nov. 2026. pot boiler. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 7, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/pot%20boiler "pot boiler." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 7, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/pot%20boiler.Cite this
@misc{pot_boiler_2026,
title = {pot boiler},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/pot%20boiler},
urldate = {2026-11-07}
}
