factoid

[Laurence Horn]

On Nov 16, 2012, at 7:40 AM, Joel S. Berson wrote:

> At 11/16/2012 01:29 AM, Laurence Horn wrote:
>> On Nov 15, 2012, at 7:01 PM, Dave Wilton wrote:
>>
>> > Urban dictionary has a decent breakdown of the senses that I've heard:
>> > http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=factoid
>> >
>> > In my experience, their sense #2 is the more common: "A fact that
>> may or may
>> > not be true, but is trivial in nature."
>>
>> Interesting.  Back in our old unsophisticated days we used to think
>> that if it wasn't true, it wasn't a fact (however trivial it might (not) be.
>>
>> LH
>
> Not a dilemma, Larry.  -oid = "resembling", so not necessarily having
> the actual nature of.  Like the suffix -iness.

I wasn't criticizing the applicability of "factoid" to trivial or uninteresting facts and non-facts, but on its urban dictionary definition above--"A fact that may or may not be true".  It would be like defining a humanoid as "a human that may or may not be homo sapiens".  At the same time, I fully acknowledge that "fact" has been used in this (underspecified) way for decades; I remember being struck ages ago by the claim of some politician or other along the lines of "I categorically deny the fact that..." (he was involved in some reprehensible skullduggery).


LH

> P.S.  My perception is the same as Dave's and Wilson's:  Possibly
> true, but small.
>
> Joel
>
>> >
>> > -----Original Message-----
>> > From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf Of
>> > James Harbeck
>> > Sent: Thursday, November 15, 2012 8:11 PM
>> > To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>> > Subject: factoid
>> >
>> > I had a debate today about the meaning of "factoid". I'm wondering whether
>> > my sense of what more or less everyone uses it to mean is in fact accurate.
>> > Tell me: what, in your world, does "factoid" mean?
>> >
>> > Thanks,
>> > James Harbeck.
>> >
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>
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