Statistical Boners

Im reading a highly regarded academic text with a sentence that reads thusly:

"To this statistical boner, the author added a causal error."

What is a statistical boner? Is boner sometimes slang for screwup or mistake? I've never heard the word boner used in such a way before. This is blowing my mind. I must know more about statistical boners.

oh yeah and just so you know I'm not making this up, the text is Peter Charles Hoffer-A Historian's Paradox. It's on page 84 if you can find it via google books. A most hearty LOL/WTF.

Stat boners.

If I wanted to rain on the lol parade, I'd say Boner is the name of the author.

"To this statistical Boner, the author, added a casual error."

boner was not capitalized. Plus, Im not sure if that sentence makes sense with the comma if an author's name was implied.

I must know more about statistical boners. I'm going to talk to my advisor about starting on a dissertation prospectus on statistical bonerisms within contemporary historiography.

Ah thank you. This brings me to my next point; isn't the use of such slang rather crude for an academic text? Why not use hundreds of other potential synonyms. This man must have an interesting sense of humor (though this book is a little dry, you can definitely tell he's playing with the sources in an intriguing way).

edit: wtf "one that bones"? FLOL

WATMM, what are your favorite statistical boners and why?

I'm fairly certain the causal error is slang for ejaculatio praecox.

you never heard the word boner used as slang for screw up? it was more common in the 80s

  On 9/6/2013 at 9:30 PM, MisterE said:

you never heard the word boner used as slang for screw up? it was more common in the 80s

ive never heard it used that way. Even with it used that way, I find it very odd that such slang was determined fit for academic publication.

No one else finds the phrase "statistical boners" humorous? My bad.

yeah that is kind of weird. i'm thinking i got the impression that maybe the word was even more commonly used that way before the 80s. i remember as a kid it was in tv shows and movies sometimes in the 80s. not one of the most used slang but i remember it. but i'm thinking it could have possibly been used more as you go back in time before the 80s and maybe at one point it was more of a widely accepted slang or something? i guess depending on when the book was written maybe it wasn't really that super unusual even in academic context?

i think i remember the word being used like that on leave it to beaver and shows like that from that era...

Statistically the average male can experience 4-5 boners in his sleep per night.

Statistically speaking, if you're reading this, there is a 95% chance I have a boner.

  On 9/6/2013 at 7:50 PM, goDel said:

I'm fairly certain the causal error is slang for ejaculatio praecox.

not funny? no-one? :(

i thought it was quite funny...nvrmnd :/

  On 9/6/2013 at 7:31 PM, SR4 said:

This brings me to my next point; isn't the use of such slang rather crude for an academic text? Why not use hundreds of other potential synonyms.

One could say that this is

An academic boner.

80% of me is having a statistical boner now.

LOL

I thought a statistical boner was a mathematic expression...like "anomolous orgasm", or "graphic excitable secretions", or "masturbatory binary", or "sexy math".

pleasure math= my next EP title.

  On 9/12/2013 at 12:55 PM, eugene said:

[...] for statistical power, i copy pasted the same 17 senators and their data 20 times so the sample size is 340.

  On 9/6/2013 at 7:31 PM, SR4 said:

 

 

WATMM, what are your favorite statistical boners and why?

3 days ago my neighbor told me that 85% of homosexuals are homosexuals because they were molested as children?!?!

That's a pretty huge statistical boner...