penny-a-liner

noun

One who supplies writing to public journals for a set fee per line of text; a poor writer for hire; a hack.

Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nounpenny-a-liner (plural penny-a-liners)

plural penny-a-liners

  1. datedderogatoryOne who supplies writing to public journals for a set fee per line of text; a poor writer for hire; a hack.

    […] (a dozen years ago he was not even a penny-a-liner: no such luck); […]

    1840, M. A. Titmarsh [pseudonym; William Makepeace Thackeray], The Paris Sketch Book, volume (please specify |volume=I or II), London: John Macrone, […], →OCLC

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
hackney writer

Origin

From penny-a-line + -er.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

penny-a-liner. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/penny-a-liner

MLA

“penny-a-liner.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/penny-a-liner. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “penny-a-liner,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/penny-a-liner.

Source: penny-a-liner on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.