Catchlines

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A series of brief phrases or titles that highlight key themes or topics in a piece of writing
2. Attention-grabbing lines designed to attract interest or summarize content in marketing or advertising materials
3. Phrases used to succinctly convey the essence of a story or article, often positioned prominently for emphasis

Etymology: "Catchlines" is the plural of "catchline," a compound of "catch" and "line." "Catch" here carries its sense of drawing attention or hooking interest, the same idea behind "catchy" and "catchphrase," while "line" refers to a short written or printed sentence or phrase. Put together, the compound describes a short line built to snag a reader's attention before they have chosen to look closer. Like "catchword" and "catchphrase," it names a piece of text by its job rather than by its content, which is why it is most at home in advertising and headline writing.

Synonyms: headlines, titles, slogans, labels, captions