shilling shocker en · NOUN
Etymology
From the price of one shilling, and the shocking content.
Meanings
- (UK, historical) A cheap paperback book produced for the mass market in 19th-century Britain, often consolidating twelve to fifteen episodes of a serial novel whose chapters had previously been published separately as penny dreadful pamphlets, and typically focused on crime and violence.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| shilling shockers | Number=Plur | lexicographic |