# What do these eight words and/or phrases have in common? **URL:** \ **Category:** Thread Games\ **Created:** [November 15, 2022, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-these-eight-words-and-or-phrases-have-in-common/974922 "2022-11-15T03:05:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2022, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-these-eight-words-and-or-phrases-have-in-common/974922/101 "2022-12-18T15:20:25Z")
Yep. Well, close enough. These are the most common English words that do not have a rhyme. mmm ---
**Author:** ![Karen\_Lingel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karen_lingel/32/18649_2.png) [@Karen\_Lingel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Karen_Lingel)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2022, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-these-eight-words-and-or-phrases-have-in-common/974922/102 "2022-12-18T18:24:40Z")
**barf** **Cheryl** **envy** **nowhere** **onyx** **Pyrex** **roof** **terra** ---
**Author:** ![Rhodes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhodes/32/273_2.png) [@Rhodes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhodes)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2022, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-these-eight-words-and-or-phrases-have-in-common/974922/103 "2022-12-19T18:13:45Z")
ate = 8 for = 4 go = ?? sank = 5 (French) to = 2 tray = 3 (Polish) won = 1 you = ?? ---
**Author:** ![Rhodes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhodes/32/273_2.png) [@Rhodes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhodes)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2022, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-these-eight-words-and-or-phrases-have-in-common/974922/104 "2022-12-19T18:32:21Z")
tray = 3 (Italian) is perhaps a better match than Polish. I’ve spent half an hour on **go** and **you**. I’m stumped. ---
**Author:** ![Karen\_Lingel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karen_lingel/32/18649_2.png) [@Karen\_Lingel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Karen_Lingel)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2022, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-these-eight-words-and-or-phrases-have-in-common/974922/105 "2022-12-19T21:12:21Z")
One is Korean, one is Japanese. But I don’t speak either of these languages so my hearing of the pronunciations my be wrong… ---
**Author:** ![Karen\_Lingel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karen_lingel/32/18649_2.png) [@Karen\_Lingel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Karen_Lingel)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2022, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-these-eight-words-and-or-phrases-have-in-common/974922/106 "2022-12-20T23:15:15Z")
Hint: It’s the list you should have seen coming… ---
**Author:** ![Rhodes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhodes/32/273_2.png) [@Rhodes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhodes)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2022, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-these-eight-words-and-or-phrases-have-in-common/974922/107 "2022-12-22T17:32:31Z")
I’m seeing letter names in some of the words, but I don’t have a solution. b **ar** f = ‘R’ Cher **yl** = ‘L’ **envy** = ‘N’ ‘V’ **Py** r **ex** = ‘π’ ‘X’ ---
**Author:** ![Karen\_Lingel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karen_lingel/32/18649_2.png) [@Karen\_Lingel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Karen_Lingel)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2022, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-these-eight-words-and-or-phrases-have-in-common/974922/108 "2022-12-22T18:56:07Z")
Not the right track. The hint is already in this thread. You will know the hint when you see it… ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2022, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-these-eight-words-and-or-phrases-have-in-common/974922/109 "2022-12-22T21:49:42Z")
> [@Karen\_Lingel](#): > > State postal abbreviations? ---
**Author:** ![Karen\_Lingel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karen_lingel/32/18649_2.png) [@Karen\_Lingel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Karen_Lingel)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2022, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-these-eight-words-and-or-phrases-have-in-common/974922/110 "2022-12-22T22:45:14Z")
Earlier in the thread than that. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2022, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-these-eight-words-and-or-phrases-have-in-common/974922/111 "2022-12-22T22:58:45Z")
> [@Karen\_Lingel](#): > > **barf** > **Cheryl** > **envy** > **nowhere** > **onyx** > **Pyrex** > **roof** > **terra** Doper names? mmm ---
**Author:** ![Rhodes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhodes/32/273_2.png) [@Rhodes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhodes)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2022, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-these-eight-words-and-or-phrases-have-in-common/974922/112 "2022-12-22T23:01:04Z")
They’re all artist names according to Amazon Music. Except roof is “The Roof”. And some of these bands are obscure enough to have 10 followers. ---
**Author:** ![Karen\_Lingel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karen_lingel/32/18649_2.png) [@Karen\_Lingel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Karen_Lingel)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2022, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-these-eight-words-and-or-phrases-have-in-common/974922/113 "2022-12-22T23:01:35Z")
Not that far back. ---
**Author:** ![Karen\_Lingel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karen_lingel/32/18649_2.png) [@Karen\_Lingel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Karen_Lingel)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2022, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-these-eight-words-and-or-phrases-have-in-common/974922/114 "2022-12-22T23:02:52Z")
No. Farther back in the thread than that. ---
**Author:** ![Rhodes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhodes/32/273_2.png) [@Rhodes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhodes)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2022, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-these-eight-words-and-or-phrases-have-in-common/974922/115 "2022-12-22T23:06:16Z")
> [@Karen\_Lingel](#): > > **barf** > **Cheryl** > **envy** > **nowhere** > **onyx** > **Pyrex** > **roof** > **terra** In ROT-18 they’re: ones Purely rail abjurer balk Clerk ebbs green ---
**Author:** ![Karen\_Lingel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karen_lingel/32/18649_2.png) [@Karen\_Lingel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Karen_Lingel)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2022, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-these-eight-words-and-or-phrases-have-in-common/974922/116 "2022-12-22T23:07:30Z")
That’s not ROT-_18_… But good work. ---
**Author:** ![Rhodes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhodes/32/273_2.png) [@Rhodes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhodes)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2022, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-these-eight-words-and-or-phrases-have-in-common/974922/117 "2022-12-22T23:10:15Z")
Right. I googled a ROT-18 encoder, and the first one I [clicked](https://dencode.com/en/cipher/rot18) actually does ROT-13. ---
**Author:** ![Karen\_Lingel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karen_lingel/32/18649_2.png) [@Karen\_Lingel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Karen_Lingel)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2022, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-these-eight-words-and-or-phrases-have-in-common/974922/118 "2022-12-24T03:22:52Z")
**chocolate** **city** **horse** **humor** **knight** **matter** **roast** **side** ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2022, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-these-eight-words-and-or-phrases-have-in-common/974922/119 "2022-12-24T13:01:52Z")
Those are the first words of the first 8 chapters of Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes. ---
**Author:** ![Karen\_Lingel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karen_lingel/32/18649_2.png) [@Karen\_Lingel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Karen_Lingel)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2022, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-these-eight-words-and-or-phrases-have-in-common/974922/120 "2022-12-24T17:28:51Z")
LOL, but no. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-these-eight-words-and-or-phrases-have-in-common/974922.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-these-eight-words-and-or-phrases-have-in-common/974922.md?page=7)