Re:Starship / Super Heavy
by simonebrunozzi on Sunday December 27, 2020 @03:50AM
(#25549792)
Ah, what would be the most common incorrect way to use it? Being a non-native English speaker I'm always fascinated to learn new things like this one.
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Re:Starship / Super Heavy
by kybernetikos on Sunday December 27, 2020 @04:36AM
(#25549943)
It's often used for a "trivial or minor fact" but by comparison with planetoid (something like a planet but not a planet) or cuboid (like a cube but not an actual cube) or asteroid (looks like a star but is not a star) or humanoid / android (having the form of a human or man while not actually being one), you can see what the 'correct' usage should be.
Trivial fact would perhaps be better as 'factette' or 'microfact'.
I have also heard people use it to describe a "bite sized fact". The "oid" part of the word, for some people, seems to mean "small" or "compartmentalized".
In this incorrect usage of the word, take the following sentence: "Nice little factoid!", could also be written as "Nice little nugget of info!"