"A Factoid is NOT a Fact"

[Wilson Gray]

Damn! That was my point: that even propeller-heads understand the
difference. I simply forgot to state it. Oh, well. Next time.

-Wilson

On 2/3/06, Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at yahoo.com> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at YAHOO.COM>
> Subject:      Re: "A Factoid is NOT a Fact"
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> ZDNet is correct here.
>
>   But, hey.
>
>   JL
>
> Wilson Gray <hwgray at GMAIL.COM> wrote:
>   ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender: American Dialect Society
> Poster: Wilson Gray
> Subject: "A Factoid is NOT a Fact"
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> More from ZDNet:
>
> "A Factoid is NOT a Fact"
>
> "A Factoid is NOT an interesting bit of factual trivia. It is
> information masquerading as fact, thus the -oid suffix. As in
> human-oid."
>
> "Please, people, get this straight! Factoid is, in fact, the exact
> opposite of what you want to say. A factoid is something that pretends
> to be true, but isn't."
>
> "I know, I know, everybody and his grandmother is committing this same
> mistake - it's factoidal behavior - don't do it!"
>
> "Factoid is to Fact as Truthiness is to Truth."
>
> -Wilson Gray
>
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