In another thread Alex used the phrase "pot boiler". I've often heard it but where did it come from? It sounds like it should be positive - the book is so good you don't notice dinner boiling over - but it usually implies pulp level writing to me.

Here's what Quinion has to say:

http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-pot1.htm

Used first in print in the US in the mid-19th century. There's also a short story called the Pot-Boiler written in 1904 by Edith Wharton. Not to be confused with a boiler maker.

thanks jheem