This from my friend A.:
As you may know, factoid does not actually mean "little fact." That's a factlet. A factoid is something that is similar to a fact, but is not actually a fact.
Hmm. As I said to A., so what exactly makes something like a fact, but not a fact? Merriam-Webster says a fact is "a piece of information presented as having objective reality." What variance from that would make something a factoid?
The original reference was to the following:
...my favorite of the whites. It's a Marsanne, which is not typically used by itself but is usually found in blends. It's also a grape that ages well...
M-W says a factoid is: either
1: an invented fact believed to be true because of its appearance in print or 2: a brief and usually trivial news item.
I don't feel like this bit about wine meets either criteria, so I am left without guidance.
