I must apologize. It seems I've been misleading us all when I share my "factoids." I thought "factoid" meant an essentially useless bit of trivia, but Faithful Reader Thad (with whom I share a passion for words) has straightened me out. Here's what he sez:

" 'Factoid' is a term coined in 1973 by American writer Norman Mailer to mean a piece of info that becomes accepted as a fact even though it is not true, or an invented fact believed to be true because it appears in print.”

Huh. There's a lot of THAT goin' around, no? Thad continues:

"Another word used now is 'factlet' for a trivial item of news.
I guess eight ever, nine never to some is a fact, even though only a guideline, so it is a factoid."

Well. I stand (sit?) corrected and thank Thad. I promise henceforth no "factoids," just "factlet." And I'll start with today's quiz, which is all about opening bids.