Peter

[This word—a portmanteau blending of “anecdote” and “data”–can be used in a neutral sense or in a disparaging sense. The former is when it refers to simply presenting anecdotal evidence based on personal experience or observation and the latter is when the anecdotal evidence is used to suggest that that it is a broadly applicable fact. An example of both is given.]

[Q: Our cat throws up about once a week. What can we do about this? A:]   Based on anecdata from cat owners I have known, a cat’s food can cause frequent upset in our feline friends. (Jolie Kerr, “How to Clean the Most Common Cat Messes,” The New York Times, 11/-07/2018.)

Once upon a time, going to a cinema was the best way to experience seeing a film. … This is, simply put, not the case any longer.  At the risk of resorting to anecdata, I’d like to relate a couple of stories [about movies I recently went to see] and how they tie into larger exhibition issue. (Sonny Bunch, “Hollywood May Blame Movie Theatres For Poor Ticket Sales,” The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 09/29/2017.)

This word, when used in the above sense, can also be a …

After a 3,000-mile journey across five national borders, [the Mekong], the mother of rivers divaricates into a complex delta network and drains into the South China Sea. (Ben Mauk, “A People in Limbo,” The New York Times Magazine; 03/28/2018.)

This word, when used in the above sense, can also be a synonym for branch (out), split (off), and spread (apart).…

The too-short, narrower end [of the tie] cannot reach the loop on the overlong wider end, and the two threaten to go off in separate directions… To compensate, the president resorts to a kludge favored by 8-year-olds forced to dress up for a wedding: Scotch tape. [Photos] clearly show a strip of cellophane tape holding the errant tie end in place. (Richard Thompson Ford, “The Ties That Blind,” The New York Times, 02/17/2017.)

This word, when used in the above sense, can also be a synonym for answer, resolution, fix, remedy, cure and band-aid.…

[Earning 12% a year on your investment is just not possible in this market.] So the meat-headed brokster [who told you this] is either a pseudologist smoking too much dope or an articulate incompetent who lacks a conscience. (Malcolm Berko. “Companies Are Offering Lump-Sum Pension Payouts to Save Money,” The Oklahoman, 11/29/2015.)…

[Literal examples would include looking at an object in water, looking through a microscope, rainbows, or a mirage over a hot road. However, the term is often used in figurative ways as well, as in this example.]  My mother was an actress, which added another refraction: I grew up watching her pretend to be other people. My great excitement at seeing her on stage was always tinged with a vague sense of being in limbo that would persist until I saw her again in her street clothes. (Kate Neuman, “When My Mother Forgot Me,” The New York Times, 06/21/2019.)

This word, when used in the above sense, can also be a synonym for illusion, mirage or hallucination.…