SIPs….Kieran Healy points out the Amazon has yet another new feature: Statistically Improbable Phrases. These are phrases that occur a large number of times in a particular book relative to how many times it occurs across all books.
As befits a professor, Kieran checks out the phrases in several dense, heavy, historically important tomes. As befits a guy who barely graduated from college, I’ve collected phrases from slightly more accessible literature:
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Stranger in a Strange Land, by Robert Heinlein: bounce tube, stereo tank, babble box, water brother.
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The Bridges of Madison County, by Robert James Waller: orange suspenders.
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Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them, by Al Franken: insolent pleasure, lucky duckies, wing media, corporate speeches, attack journalism.
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A Charge to Keep, by George W. Bush: apparently this book has no memorable phrases.
Fun for the whole family. Check out your favorite book now!
