[Ads-l] Another early "fact" = 'idea; proposition.'

[Neal Whitman]

https://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/dictionary/true-facts-and-false-facts/

> On Jan 12, 2017, at 3:16 PM, ADSGarson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM> wrote:
> 
> There are some 19th century examples of the phrase "untrue fact" which
> suggest that the definition of "fact: a thing that is indisputably the
> case" does not quite capture the full meaning. One might argue that
> these uses are anomalous and should not be included under the
> definition. Innovative (and incompetent) speakers enjoy stretching the
> definitions of words.
> 
> Year: 1890
> Title: The Teachings of Humanity
> Author: Ch. W. Rosenfeld
> Translator: M. M. (from Hebrew)
> Quote Page 100 and 101
> Database: Google Books Full View
> 
> [Begin excerpt]
> Hitherto we met a great many really deserving and pressing cases
> unattended to or refused, because the applicants cannot or will not
> humble themselves too much, or, as the impostors usually do, take
> recourse to false statements, in order to satisfy the requirements of
> the rules. Should there, however, happen an exceptional case where a
> honest man has been driven by want and misery to state an untrue fact,
> it is at once found out, it is seen in his face, and as a punishment
> naturally follows-a refusal point blank.
> [End excerpt]
> 
> Garson
> 
> 
> On Thu, Jan 12, 2017 at 2:16 PM, Jonathan Lighter
> <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com> wrote:
>> 1968 Bill Finger et al. _The Green Slime_ (film) [No Pun Intended]: We're
>> banking on the fact that Dr. Halvorsen's theory is correct.
>> 
>> Halvorsen's *theory* is that the slime creatures feed on pure energy, which
>> allows them to multiply like crazy. Something just described by the speaker
>> as a dubious Theory is _ipso facto_ [No Pun Intended] not a Fact.
>> 
>> JL
>> 
>> --
>> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
>> 
>> ------------------------------------------------------------
>> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> 
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org