Advice. If you’ re writing a scientific article, you don’t use the word “spitball” as a verb or as a noun. The word is undefined in a scientific context.
The requisite scare words are there: “increasing the likelihood of deadly impacts”. Now we have something else to worry about.
Interesting. I like the spitball analogy. Reminds me of 10th grade science class where we are told to read the chapter on comets and bic pen barrels are brought out and an impromptu demonstration is given by hooligans in the back row to the nerds in the front. Teacher, of course, out having a cigarette break.
Vaquero's correct.
He’s trying to make it interesting to non-scientists with a bit of colorful verbiage, that’s all.