factor

Related to factor: Factor Models

factor in

To incorporate or involve something in something. A noun or pronoun can be used between "factor" and "in." Before you accept this job offer, you need to factor in how long the commute is.
See also: factor

factor out

1. To exclude something or keep it from being incorporated into something. A noun or pronoun can be used between "factor" and "out." Before you accept this job offer, you need to factor out everyone else's opinions and think about what you really want.
2. In mathematics, to change an equation so that something (such as a variable) used multiple times is instead used once. A noun or pronoun can be used between "factor" and "out." OK, what do we need to factor out in order solve this equation?
See also: factor, out

fudge factor

Room for error or mistakes. I'm not very good at math, so I always leave a fudge factor when I'm tallying up my expenditures for the month.
See also: factor, fudge

gut factor

The subjective, emotional element or dimension that influences a decision. All three candidates appear ideal for the position, so we'll have to rely on the gut factor when we make our choice.
See also: factor, gut

serve as the driving force (behind someone or something)

To act as the instigator, catalyst, or motivator that compels someone to do something or causes something to happen. While they haven't admitted why they reversed their decision, everyone knows the lawsuit served as the driving factor. The willingness of the banks to let anyone and everyone get a mortgage, whether or not they would be able to meet their repayments, served as the single biggest driving factor behind the financial crisis. My family has always served as the driving factor behind me.
See also: driving, force, serve, someone

sleaze factor

An aspect, element, or part of a group, organization, campaign, activity, etc., that engages in, is tainted by, or is known for immoral, corrupt, or scandalous behavior. We're aiming to create a dating website for professional adults, without the sleaze factor for which some of our competitors are known. The deregulation of this industry has caused the sleaze factor to skyrocket, as people motivated purely by greed now have myriad ways to manipulate the system.
See also: factor, sleaze

X factor

A unique and noteworthy quality that makes someone or something exceptional. There are a lot of really talented singers in this contest, but I think Molly's X factor is her stage presence. A lot of similar products are on the market right now—ours has to have an X factor!
See also: factor
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

fudge factor

Fig. a margin of error. I never use a fudge factor. I measure correctly, and I cut the material exactly the way I measured it. I built in a fudge factor of three percent.
See also: factor, fudge
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

factor in

Figure in, include as a basic element. For example, In preparing the schedule we factored in vacation and sick days. This term comes from mathematics. [Mid-1900s]
See also: factor

sleaze factor

The element in a political party, administration, or other organization that is corrupt, controversial, or tainted by scandal. For example, I can't see myself making a campaign contribution to them-there's too much of a sleaze factor . This slangy expression derives from the adjective sleazy, which means "vulgar" or "tawdry." The idiom was first used in politics in the 1980s.
See also: factor, sleaze
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

fudge factor

a figure which is included in a calculation in order to account for some unquantified but significant phenomenon or to ensure a desired result.
Fudge, apparently originating in the mid 18th century as an exclamation of disgust or irritation, later acquired a specific verbal sense in printers' jargon, meaning to ‘do work imperfectly or as best you can with the materials available’.
See also: factor, fudge
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

factor in

v.
1. To take something into account; take something into consideration; figure something in: We factored sick days and vacations in when we prepared the work schedule. The boss factored in overtime when giving out bonuses.
2. To be taken into account or consideration; to be figured in: These observations are interesting, but they don't really factor in.
See also: factor

factor out

v.
1. To reanalyze a situation or problem in order to remove something from consideration: If we factor out personal details, it seems that everyone has the same story. If we factor the bad data out, the results are predictable.
2. Mathematics To rewrite an expression so that something, especially a constant or variable, appearing more than once in the expression appears only once: By factoring the shared terms out of the expression, we can easily solve the equation. The teacher factored out 3x from both sides of the equation 6x^3 + 9x^2 + 12x = 24x.
See also: factor, out
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs.

fudge factor

n. a margin of error. I never use a fudge factor. I measure correctly, and I cut the material exactly the way I measured it.
See also: factor, fudge
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions

sleaze factor

The part of a situation or organization that is sordid or corrupt. The word sleaze has been used in the sense of immoral or corrupt since about 1960. The entire phrase is used mostly for components of an administration, political party, or campaign. An article by Joshua E. Keating was headlined, “Sleaze Factor, Is There an Epidemic of Corruption in the World’s Democracies?” (Foreign Policy, July 12, 2010). An article about a television reality show was headlined, “Critics Blame Big Media for Sleaze Factor” (Frank Ahrens, Washington Post, February 11, 2004).
See also: factor, sleaze
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
See also:
  • add in
  • all right
  • a/the feel of (something)
  • (I) wouldn't (do something) if I were you
  • a straw will show which way the wind blows
  • a crack at (someone or something)
  • (you) wanna make something of it?
  • all for the best
  • a thing of the past
  • a slew of (something)
References in periodicals archive
There is no consensus as to how many factors drive stocks, or how exactly to define some of the factors, but their application to equities adds a new analytical dimension to traditional equity styles and gives sponsors greater precision and transparency in understanding what moves their portfolios.
Equity Factor Investing
Factor Allocator features more than 20 years of historical factor-based index data from S&P Dow Jones Indices.
New Factor Allocator Tool Shows the Value of Factor Investing
The Factor undertakes to provide financing, monitoring and preservation of receivables against credit risks and the adherent undertakes to submit ownership on receivables arising from the sale of goods or services;
Factoring contract--Short term financing technique
Acquired deficiency in the form of multiple factor deficiency was seen in 55 (20.1%) mainly due to vitamin K deficiency and liver disease (Table-2).
FREQUENCY OF BLEEDING DISORDERS DIAGNOSED AT ARMED FORCES INSTITUTE OF PATHOLOGY RAWALPINDI
"I think this could take offC*our market is similar to Turkey's, [currently the second largest export factor in the world].
Experts highlight benefits of factoring in Egypt
By factoring, the companies engaged in commercial transactions also benefit by the fact that they can concentrate on developing the business by expanding production and sales, while the Factor is in charge with monitoring the cashing of bills and recording the collection of the factoring bills (Vartolomei, 2006).
Financing by factoring in Romania
Among patients with a single cardiovascular disease risk factor, the average age of patients with AF was 73 years.
Metabolic syndrome ups AFib, stroke risk
So are bone changes in HIV disease caused by HIV medications, HIV itself, both of these, or some other factors (eg, host factors or risk factors)?
Bone problems and HIV: an interview with Steven Petak
So you may be thinking to yourself, okay, a 25% full floor Loss Factor means that tenants actually occupy 75% of the rentable area in a recently sold Manhattan office building, right?
Loss factors in New York City commercial market
Consequently, rather than being a direct determinant (i.e., causative risk factor) for invasive GAS infection, NSAID use could mark the onset of disease symptoms (fever, localized pain, and inflammation).
Nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs and group A streptococcal infection
These can include % compression, and a sample's shape as reflected by its height, diameter, shape factor or surface to volume ratio.
Compression set vs. compression stress relaxation
After interpreting exploratory factor analytic findings, the researchers argued for and labeled two social goals: pleasing the teacher and pleasing the family.
Students' social goals and outcomes
Last year, a team led by Columbia University researcher Rando Allikmets reported that certain forms of a gene for a protein called factor H can increase a person's risk of age-related macular degeneration.
Genes for macular degeneration
In one study, exposure to herbicides was a significant independent risk factor after adjustment for insecticide and other exposures (Semchuk et al.
Pesticides and Parkinson's disease--is there a link?
A factor buys the invoice that was generated by the small business vendor and offered to the contractor or government agency.
When the solution is a problem