Pencil Pencil A pencil is an implement for writing or drawing constructed of a narrow, solid pigment core inside a protective casing which prevents the core from being broken and/or from leaving marks on the user’s hand during use. Pencils create marks by physical abrasion, leaving behind a trail of solid core material that adheres to a sheet of paper or other surface. They are distinct from pens, which instead dispense liquid or gel ink onto the surface being marked. Most pencil cores are made of graphite powder mixed with a clay binder. Graphite pencils (traditionally known as 'lead pencils') are
Lead-in Lead-in A lead-in is a short phrase, usually five words or less, that starts off a photo caption in a newspaper, high school yearbook, magazine or other publication. Lead-ins (a.k.a. "kickers") are used to catch the reader's attention and "lead in" to the main caption. These phrases widely range from common phrases to song lyrics, and are written appropriate to the subject matter of the photograph. Examples of lead-ins include the following: Editors and caption writers tend to "avoid" using clichés and obvious lead-ins (e.g., "Two heads better than one," "Whistle while you work," etc.); and also prefer varying lead-ins