succès de scandale*: Meaning and Definition of

suc•cès de scan•dale

Pronunciation: (syk-sed skän-dal'), [key]
— French. French.
  1. success won by reason of topical, usually scandalous, subject matter rather than by merit and critical respect.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.