Using italic is usually used as a place holder for a blank piece of information.

This open area is big enough to put a place holder in.

Other players used landmarks from outside New York as place holders for buildings that aren't available.

For weeks, they have claimed to be only temporary place holders.

But Crawford is more than a place holder, as his 17-point third quarter attested.

"XYZ is the place holder" until a new name can be developed.

The followers are flocking to their sides and even fighting for a place holder in those parties.

In these examples, watch out for zero place holders.

"Can't be fun to figure out you're nothing but a place holder for a too-old daughter."

Here the 1, 10, and 100 are merely the place holders for a three digit decimal number.