penny dreadful

English

Etymology

From its low price and the lower-class British use of dreadful (“sensationalized crime reporting”).

Noun

penny dreadful (plural penny dreadfuls) (originally derogatory, now usually historical)

  1. A cheap paperback book, particularly those concerning lurid depictions of crime in the Victorian era.
    • 1861 July 29, North American Review:
      They can read the ‘penny dreadful’, but they cannot darn their stockings or mend their shoes.
  2. Pulp fiction: stories written in the lurid style of the penny dreadfuls.

Usage notes

  • Also used attributively as an adjective.

Derived terms

See also

References

Further reading

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