The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word POTBOILER
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
P
O
T
B
O
I
L
E
R
More clues leading to the result POTBOILER
- Blooper: it ruined low-quality novel
- One’s dashed off to pay the rent
- Sailor slammed Bleriot’s substandard work?
- Money-making drama pilot bore trashed
- Reader mightn’t stand this heat in the kitchen, perhaps?
- Grim-faced worker penning book — something to earn fast buck?
- Pilot officer’s consumption on vessel making hack work
- Prize chicken perhaps that’s quickly produced for money
- Politer boy briefly whipped for work of poor quality
- “Fat belly on tough old bird”: hardly high literature
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Work of little merit" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case work of little merit = potboiler.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does POTBOILER mean?
POTBOILER noun- (mildly) A creative work of low quality (book, art, etc), produced merely to earn a living or for profit, as opposed to serious creative expression.
- A stone used to transfer heat from a fire into a vessel of water, so as to heat the contents.