Entertainment / Literature / Penny Dreadful: A sensational novel of crime, adventure, violence, or horror. The term is an English archaism referring to cheaply printed books bound in paper at only a few pennies' cost. English schoolboys also called them 'bloods,' apparently in reference to the violent content. The equivalent term in American slang is 'dime-novel,' again referring to the cheap price, or 'pulp fiction,' referring to the cheap wood-pulp pressed to make the paper. My personal favorite penny dreadful from pre-1800 writing is Varney the Vampire: Or, The Feast of Blood! The title gives some indication of the content.
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Dreadful Adjective Synonyms: bad, awful, terrible, rotten, lousy
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Business / Finance / Penny Stock: Used in the context of general equities. Stock that typically sells for less than $1 a share, although it may rise to as much as $10/share after the initial public offering, usually because of heavy p MORE
Entertainment / Literature / Penny Dreadful: A sensational novel of crime, adventure, violence, or horror. The term is an English archaism referring to cheaply printed books bound in paper at only a few pennies' cost. English schoolboys also cal MORE