catchpenny

noun — 2 senses

catchpenny

noun

Etymology From catch + penny.

1

A cheap item designed to attract purchasers of other goods.

Near-synonym: loss leader

2

A publication, etc. intended to make money, with no particular merit otherwise.

CURIOSITIES OF STREET LITERATURE: COMPRISING "COCKS," OR "CATCHPENNIES," A Large and Curious Assortment of STREET DROLLERIES, SQUIBS, HISTORIES, COMIC STORIES IN PROSE AND VERSE, […]1886, Charles Hindley, The History of the Catnach Press, page xxiii:

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.