above the fold/below the fold

[Joel S. Berson]

At 4/21/2011 10:58 PM, George Thompson wrote:
>TLS, April 15, 2011, p. 13, col. 1, writing of the news of the
>launching of Sputnik:
>Pravda's announcement of the launch was relatively mild, below the
>fold, and emphasized basic technical facts.
>
>"Below the fold" and its antonym, "above the fold", are not in
>OED.  They are very familiar to me, though I can't recall when I
>learned them.  They refer to a news story thought by the newspaper's
>editor to be worthy of the first page, and additionally, interesting
>enough to lie on the page with the headline "above the fold", so
>that it will be seen by people looking over the papers displayed on
>a news-stand (or, otherwise, placed below the fold, where it won't
>be seen unles the browser picks the paper up).

Of course, in the New York City subways during rush hour, it would be
"before the fold" or "after the fold".  Except with the tabloids.

Joel

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