Bryson•s Dictionary for Writers and Editors

Fff
FAA. Federal Aviation Administration.
fable, parable, allegory, myth. Fables and parables are both stories intended
to have instructional value. They differ in that parables
are always concerned with religious or ethical themes, while fables
are usually concerned with more practical considerations
(and frequently have animals as the characters). An allegory is an
extended metaphor—that is, a narrative in which the principal
characters represent things that are not explicitly stated. Orwell’s
Animal Farm is an allegory. Myths originally were stories
designed to explain some belief or phenomenon, usually the exploits
of superhuman beings. Today the word can signify any
popular misconception or invented story.
facile is usually defined as easy, smooth, without much effort. But
the word should contain at least a suggestion of derision. Facile
writing isn’t just easily read or written; it is also lacking in substance
or import.
facsimile. An exact copy.
factious, factitious. Factious applies to factions; it is something that promotes
internal bickering or disharmony. Factitious applies to that
which is artificial or a sham; applause for a despotic ruler may be
factitious. Neither should be confused with fractious, a term for
something that is unruly or disorderly, as in “a fractious crowd.”
Faerie Queene, The. Epic poem by Edmund Spenser (1589–1596).
Faeroe Islands/The Faroes. Danish islands in the North Atlantic between
Scotland and Iceland; in Danish, Faeröerne.