MetaChat - Amazon's "Statistically Improbable Phrases"

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04 April 2006

Amazon's "Statistically Improbable Phrases" →[More:]...are short combinations of (usually) two words that occur unusually often in the text of a book, and they give me a new game to play. Identify the book from its SIP's! Most of the following are from Sci Fi / Fantasy (Amazon seems to have full text for more of those than they do for classics).

(Note: you can figure these out instantly with Google! That's no fun!)

1. "fushing feef"
2. "gutter tongue" and "tattooed face"
3. "mobile hook" and "wooden monkey"
4. "white blindness" and "chewing pellets"
5. "golden monkey" and "coal spirit"
(and there's another two word phrase for that one which would be a dead giveaway)
6. "starburst crown" and "fireshower wine"

I love this:
7. "several skin diseases" and "regular burnt offering"

And for the win, ID the book by its first sentence:
8. "There are dragons in the twins' vegetable garden."

(If you post more & better ones, I'll love you for it.)

post by: Wolfdog at: 19:08 | 14 comments

I didn't get any of these, but number 8 sounded so familiar I Googled it. I won't give it away. But it brings back the exact memory of eighth grade to me. Wow.

posted by halonine 04 April | 19:53

I only know one of those.
And it's the one from the book most likely to be found in an airport and/or grocery store.

To think... I was an English major.

posted by kellydamnit 04 April | 20:32

Five is pretty obviously His Dark Materials.

posted by Zozo 05 April | 00:06

1. From the Fafhyrd (sp) and the Grey Mouser books? Or maybe The Stainless Steel Rat?
2. Moby-Dick
3. and 4. No freakin' clue
5. Zozo beat me to it.
6. Mmm...I'm guessing Ray Bradbury.

posted by BitterOldPunk 05 April | 02:05

*googles*

Man, am I wrong.

posted by BitterOldPunk 05 April | 02:07

ooh! I love this! Great idea, Wolfdoggy. I knew only 4 and 5, though. Hold on, I'll come up with something to contribute to this...

posted by taz 05 April | 02:41

(If I'd included "armoured bear", that would have been obvious.)

posted by Wolfdog 05 April | 03:17

some easy, some hard:

1. "cultural snow"
2. "lord rat-speaker" "floating market"
3. "desert power" "prison planet"
4. "matter compiler" "mediaglyphics"
5. "two-minute hate" "anti-sex league"

posted by taz 05 April | 04:30

Ah. I got #2 and #3 right away but I don't think I'll get the other ones.

posted by Wolfdog 05 April | 05:20

I'm pretty sure you can get the last one... I had to try to pick the most non-obvious ones for that though, so maybe it's a little too obscure.

posted by taz 05 April | 05:31

I don't suppose it's some really "hip" translation of Lysistrata?

posted by Wolfdog 05 April | 08:41

Heh- I only recognized the L'Engle one.

posted by small_ruminant 05 April | 10:21

???, Dune, Neverwhere, The Diamond Age and 1984.

taz has fantastic taste in books.

posted by Zozo 05 April | 10:38

seconded zozo's comment. All of those are on my bookshelf.

Unless they're in the "frequent readers" pile on my floor for a quick grab on my way to work.

posted by kellydamnit 05 April | 12:47

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