† penny-a-lineismn.
Obsolete. rare.
The practice of writing in the inflated style associated with a penny-a-liner; an instance of such writing.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > literature > art or occupation of writer or author > [noun] > action or practice of composing > trivial or inferior work
scribbling1711
penny-a-lining1842
penny-a-lineism1854
char-work1888
1854 Punch 25 Nov. 208/2 That renowned traveller and Protestant champion [sc. the Editor of the Morning Advertiser] has accepted the appointment of Regius Professor of Penny-a-lineism.
1890 W. James Princ. Psychol. I. ix. 263 The whole genus of penny-a-line-isms and newspaper-reporter's flourishes give illustrations of this.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2005; most recently modified version published online June 2018).
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n.1854- to draw the crabs
- to draw the curtain
- to draw the fangs from
- to draw the fangs of
- to draw the fangs out of
- to draw the line
- to draw the line at
- to draw the line between
- to draw the long bow
- to draw the pole
- to draw the saw
- to draw the saw of contention
- to draw the saw of controversy
- to draw the short straw
- to draw the stumps
- to draw the table
- to draw the teeth from
- to draw the teeth of
- to draw the teeth out of
- to draw the wool over a person's eyes
- to draw the wool over eyes
- to draw through the water with a cat
- to draw to a head
- to draw to death
- to draw to memory