Lee,
Two-word phrases are the most difficult ones. If you don't have too many of them, then line number selection will do. Otherwise, some "system" needs to be used.
Jon Knowles abcz system (abcz glossary and abcz rules) takes an "abab" approach, that is, it uses the first two letters of each word. So for your example, this gives:
| | | thpa | the patient | | thpa | this patient | | tmpe | TMs pearly | | trpr | tricuspid problem | | tapr | take Prozac | | topa | toilet paper | | thpu | thrombocytopenic purpura | |
Mary Morken uses the same rule: Mary Morken's List. But it is possible to use several other disambiguation rules. For example, I tend to think that the second word is usually more meaningful. So you could use an approach using the first letter of the first word and the first two of the second:
| | | tpa | the patient | | tpa | this patient | | tpe | TMs pearly | | tpr | tricuspid problem | | tpr | take Prozac | | tpa | toilet paper | | tpu | thrombocytopenic purpura | |
Alternatively, you could use the first letter of the first word and the first and last of the second:
| | | tpt | the patient | | tpt | this patient | | tpy | TMs pearly | | tpm | tricuspid problem | | tpc | take Prozac | | tpr | toilet paper | | tpa | thrombocytopenic purpura | |
Actually, I quite like this last alternative.
In any case, this requires editing of glossaries and this can be time-consuming. In the next version of the Importer, the plan is to offer functions to apply this kind of disambiguation rules systematically. If I have not covered your favorite rule, now is the time to suggest it!
Jean Ichbiah