Definition of "potboiler" [pot•boil•er]

• A literary or artistic work of poor quality, produced quickly for profit. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The contest in every good man's heart to-day between the "ought to" and the "must," between his best work and the "potboiler," is his personal share of this incessant struggle between social interest and self-interest."
• "In literary circles this narrative might be termed a potboiler - a tale hastily conceived and executed with commercial profits foremost in mind."
• "That's pretty good for what some critics considered a mere "potboiler" or "tearjerker" -- but had it been just that, it wouldn't have had the impact that it had."