agony column

American  

noun

1. a section or column in a newspaper containing advertisements by individuals seeking missing relatives or lost pets or possessions, announcing the end of a marriage, etc.

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agony column British  

noun

1. a magazine or newspaper feature in which advice is offered to readers who have sent in letters about their personal problems

2. a part of a newspaper containing advertisements for lost relatives, personal messages, etc

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Etymology

Origin of agony column

First recorded in 1860–65

Example Sentences

Years later, Paul settles down alone in the countryside to run something called the Frogworth Valley Artisanal Cheese Company and acquires a taste for reading lachrymose agony columns in the local newspaper.

From New York Times

She hosted a Radio 2 programme, Katie and Friends, and wrote an agony column for the TV Times for nearly two decades.

From BBC

In newspaper parlance, I write an agony column.

From Washington Post

This happened, funnily enough, some years ago when Dame Edna was invited by Graydon Carter to write an agony column in Vanity Fair.

From Los Angeles Times

Mr. Fentiman had sunk very low—never knew that she was Bence's, never saw her advertisements in agony columns, never guessed year after year that a munificent protector was seeking him.

From Project Gutenberg