'Agate' as journalism jargon

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I readhttp://observer.com/pages/offtherec.asp'On an ordinary weekday, Mr. Carter estimated, hockey would occupy about two pages of 18 in his section, including the agate.'Now 'agate', according to Websterhttp://m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=AGATE&x=&y= is 'a size of type approximately 5 1/2 point'.But, in context, it means, I surmise, the part of the sports section of a newspaper in which the results of minor sports - or the minor leagues of major sports - are recorded in the briefest form possible, typically in a font size requiring the use of a magnifying-glass by non-carrotoholics.

Usenet · Accepted Answer

[nq:1]I read http://observer.com/pages/offtherec.asp 'On an ordinary weekday, Mr. Carter estimated, hockey would occupy about two pages of 18 in his ... - are recorded in the briefest formpossible, typically in a font size requiring the use of a magnifying-glass by non-carrotoholics.[/nq]
That's right. There are other nice names for type sizes, too; but it's died out now, and even in newspapers it was just a habit of speech left over from the old days. They included Pearl (tiny), Nonpareil, Pica, and Minion; US "Agate" was "Ruby" in the Empire.

Mike.

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]I read http://observer.com/pages/offtherec.asp 'On an ordinary weekday, Mr. Carter estimated, hockey would occupy about two pages of 18 in his ... are recorded in the briefest form possible, typically in a font size requiring the use of a magnifying-glass by non-carrotoholics.[/nq]
Agate type is indeed 5-1/2 point, the smallest size in general use. The agate is any part of the newspaper that is to be printed but does not warrant larger type. Sports statistics are an example of news suitable for relegating to the agate.
An agate line is also a unit of area equal to 1/14 inch by 1 column. Advertising is often priced in agate lines.

Chris Green

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]I read http://observer.com/pages/offtherec.asp 'On an ordinary weekday, Mr. Carter estimated, hockey would occupy about two pages of 18 in his ... are recorded in the briefest form possible, typically in a font size requiring the use of a magnifying-glass by non-carrotoholics.[/nq]
Excelsior, Brilliant, Diamond, and Pearl (3, 3-1/2, 4-1/2, and 5 points, respectively) are smaller but somewhat unusable for anything that is really meant to be read.

Chris Green

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]I read http://observer.com/pages/offtherec.asp 'On an ordinary weekday, Mr. Carter estimated, ... font size requiring the use of a magnifying-glass by non-carrotoholics.[/nq]
[nq:1]Excelsior, Brilliant, Diamond, and Pearl (3, 3-1/2, 4-1/2, and 5 points, respectively) are smaller but somewhat unusable for anything that is really meant to be read.[/nq]
Those parts of contracts someone hopes you will overlook?
dg (domain=ccwebster)

'Agate' as journalism jargon

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