[mcbits]

Here is some evidence of mining source code for common structure and idioms. I didn't even have to dust off my bull whip: http://homepages.inf.ed.ac.uk/csutton/publications/idioms.pd...

I don't have evidence of this approach actually being used to inform language or tool design, but it's not like it's an outrageous concept that nobody's thought of before. Your hostility is perplexing.