Over the past couple of days, an old Language Log post ("An Internet Pilgrim's Guide to Accentual-Syllabic Verse") has been seeing an unexpected amount of traffic: 281 of the past 4,000 visitors came to that page, making it the highest single entry page besides "main". What's this sudden upsurge of interest in metrics, I wondered? It's not big enough for a slashdotting, but perhaps there's a controversy over at Lambda the Ultimate about Eskimo words for iambs, or a flap at Metafilter about Trochees of Mass Destruction? What fun, I thought to myself, checking the top-ranked referring pages to find the discussion in question. Alas, there isn't one.
I'm still not certain what's going on, but a glance at the sorted list of recent strings from search engine referrals suggests the truth.
Here's the top of the list:
39 dan brown 1.0%
37 in classical poetry a metrical foot consisting of two short syllables between two long ones 0.9%
23 language log 0.6%
18 metrical foot two short syllables between two long ones 0.5%
18 in classical poetry, a metrical foot consisting of two short syllables between two long ones 0.5%
18 classical poetry metrical foot two short syllables between two long ones 0.5%
11 metrical foot of two short syllables between two long ones 0.3%
9 in classical poetry a metrical foot of two short syllables between two long ones 0.2%
8 upskirting 0.2%
8 metrical foot consisting of two short syllables between two long ones 0.2%
7 word sex 0.2%
7 classical poetry a metrical foot consisting of two short syllables between two long ones 0.2%
7 butt crack 0.2%
7 a metrical foot consisting of two short syllables between two long ones 0.2%
6 log 0.2%
5 pirate language 0.1%
5 incall 0.1%
4 wedding vowels 0.1%
4 sic meaning 0.1%
4 ku language 0.1%
4 in classical poetry,a metrical foot consisting of two short syllables between two long ones 0.1%
4 how now brown cow 0.1%
4 hobbesian choice 0.1%
4 happy bunny 0.1%
4 adjectives 0.1%
3 whorf < 0.1%
3 trepidatious < 0.1%
3 starbucks coffee sizes < 0.1%
3 sic < 0.1%
3 russian tennis players < 0.1%
3 private sex < 0.1%
3 poetry metrical foot two short syllables between two long ones < 0.1%
3 outcall < 0.1%
3 moreso < 0.1%
3 metrical foot 2 short syllables between 2 long ones < 0.1%
3 mens rea < 0.1%
3 language < 0.1%
3 hominin < 0.1%
3 harry potter porn < 0.1%
3 hangul < 0.1%
3 chinese menus < 0.1%
3 "if you will" < 0.1%
2 yoda < 0.1%
2 web crow < 0.1%
2 un official languages < 0.1%
2 typhoon long wang < 0.1%
2 teach english quebec < 0.1%
2 starbucks sizes < 0.1%
2 starbucks cup sizes < 0.1%
2 snow in inuit < 0.1%
2 simlish < 0.1%
2 shannon's equation < 0.1%
2 sex pro < 0.1%
2 sarcastic phrases < 0.1%
2 rasheed wallace quotes < 0.1%
2 prejudice accents < 0.1%
2 obstinant < 0.1%
2 o tempora o mores < 0.1%
2 neanderthal language < 0.1%
2 mocosoft < 0.1%
2 metrical foot two short syllables between two long ones classical poetry < 0.1%
2 marriage vowels < 0.1%
2 loggerheads < 0.1%
2 like < 0.1%
2 languagelog < 0.1%
2 language of brazil < 0.1%
2 language blog < 0.1%
2 kenosha kid < 0.1%
2 kennings < 0.1%
2 inclimate < 0.1%
2 in poetry a metrical foot two short syllables between two long ones < 0.1%
2 in classical poetry metrical foot two short syllables between two long ones < 0.1%
2 in classical poetry a metrical foot of 2 short syllables between 2 long ones < 0.1%
2 in classical poetry a metrical foot consisting two short syllables between two long ones < 0.1%
2 in classical poetry ,a metrical foot consisting of two short syllables between two long ones < 0.1%
I bet that some popular crossword puzzle recently featured as a clue "in classical poetry, a metrical foot consisting of two short syllables between two long ones". Most of the hits come from IP addresses in Great Britain, so it's probably a puzzle from a British Sunday paper.
Unfortunately, the page everyone is getting to ("An Internet Pilgrim's Guide to Accentual-Syllabic Verse") doesn't give the answer, which is choriamb.
Soon enough, this flurry will die down, and we'll be back to our usual set of web search referrals: the aficionados of Dan Brown, upskirting, word sex, butt crack and incall.
[Update: apparently it's a Mail on Sunday crossword, with a cash prize.]
Posted by Mark Liberman at October 24, 2005 09:23 AM