Originally, an agony column was a column in newspapers in which advertisements regarding missing relatives and friends, secret correspondence etc. were inserted. The name derived from the distress betrayed in many of the adverts. Today, an agony column is more associated with a column in a newspaper or magazine in which readers ask for advice on di...
[n] - a newspaper column devoted to personal problems
noun a newspaper column devoted to personal problems
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.