yellowback means A cheap sensational novel. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 93 out of 100.
Why this word is great
YELLOWBACK — [Noun] An inexpensive, sensational novel of the 19th century, typically bound in yellow paper or cloth. Its etymology is a bluntly descriptive compound: from yellow (referring to the color of the cover) + back (referring to the book's binding). Unlike the "penny dreadful" (which denotes cheap British serials) or the "pulp magazine" (which refers to later periodicals on wood-pulp paper), the yellowback was a distinct, consumable artifact—a complete, lurid tale sold for a traveler’s dime. It was the chromatic shock of sulfurous mustard on a railway kiosk’s shelf, the brittle crackle of cheap paper in a boarding-house parlor, and the faint chemical scent of dyed cloth fading to a sickly cream—a humble monument to the perennial need for a story that costs little and feels like everything.
noun
- A cheap sensational novel.