lead-in

noun ! Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about lead-in at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

1. An introduction; something that leads into the beginning of something.

   After the long lead-in, the climax of the story was a disappointment.

2. A region of data at the beginning of a compact disc, holding the table of contents.
3. A short phrase that begins the caption of a photograph.