I often find myself in need of a short expression, to emphasize that what I just wrote (not quoted) is actually true. In cases of paradoxes or illogical truths for instance, like The Monty Hall Problem.
It is not always possible to explain that something is actually true, nor does it look pretty to constantly add "(This is actually the truth, despite it seeming to be incorrect)" at the end of what might just be a 2-digit number in a small table-cell.
Apart from adding an asterix, or footnote, with an explanation at the bottom of the page, is there a [sic]-like alternative? An abbreviation that simply says "This is actually true/the correct value despite looking incorrect/seeming illogical"?
Assuming none exist, the only way to get a new phrase or abbreviation into the language/dictionary is to start using it… With that in mind, just for laughs, what would you prefer as a new expression?:
cbt – "counterintuitive but true"
sya – "surprising yet accurate"
tis – "this is so" (I think we'd best avoid "this is true"…)
Or perhaps cor for "correct"? Could create some confusion as it is already used as an expression in british, but I kinda like that idea.
Best Answer
When I see "[sic]" after a word or phrase, I expect the sicced word to be obviously wrong, as in the M-W Online definition's example: Definition of SIC
Seeing a lot of "[sic]"s in a paper isn't pleasant. If you're talking about something like the Monty Hall problem, it's probably best to include a footnote or an explanation rather than a "[sic]". If there are a lot of paradoxical or incorrect statements in quoted material, then I'd use a superscript * to indicate that. If you're paraphrasing someone else and want to indicate errors, I'd also use some kind of footnote and superscript symbol if there are more than two.
I don't know of any abbreviation that meets your criteria, but you might try abbreviating verbatim as "(vbt)" if you really want an abbreviation instead of a superscript symbol + footnote combo.