Terms for groups

linmag · Post by **linmag** » Sat May 03, 2003 10:13 pm

I wasn't questioning your good faith, Andrew, just puzzled.

John the Shorts · Post by **John the Shorts** » Sat May 03, 2003 10:24 pm

It could be that Andrew was reading the thread while you were replying. Andrew then decided to reply himself and hit Post Reply (after you had posted yours.

Andrew then posted his reply and that is the point at which Andrew would have his screen refreshed and would then notice your reply.

This will happen occassionally as the screens do not automatically refresh themselves.

However you could regard it as unusual as you both replid with the same theme, albeit a theme suggested by the topic of the thread.

JTS (Technical head on this evening)

Andrew McGeever · Post by **Andrew McGeever** » Sat May 03, 2003 11:06 pm

Dear JTS, (technical head)
I recall spending some time with my children ("get to bed!") before I pressed the preview button, and, having viewed the preview, pressed the submit button. This was probably the cause of the delay, BUT Linmag and I were thinking /writing about the same collective noun at the same time.
I repeat: what is the origin of "a murder of crows"?
There's a Hershey bar/Mars bar for the first person to offer the answer.
This is a challenge to all who love chocolate.
Andrew.

linmag · Post by **linmag** » Sun May 04, 2003 1:44 am

How about a 'body of pathologists'?

linmag · Post by **linmag** » Sun May 04, 2003 1:47 am

If you are interested, there is an extensive list of collective nouns for animals at http://www.rinkworks.com/words/collective.shtml but it doesn't say where any of them came from.

A few of my favourites are:
a shrewdness of apes
a parliament of owls
a deceit of lapwings
a wake of buzzards
a memory of elephants
a generation of vipers
a pounce of cats

linmag · Post by **linmag** » Sun May 04, 2003 2:10 am

Andrew This is the best I can come up with so far for the homework you set.

"The phrase, according to James Lipton* in his An Exaltation of Larks, dates from 1450 in the form a mursher of crowys. It was a murther of crowes by 1476. Whether it arose because murdering was thought to be a characteristic of crows or simply as a negative comment upon flocks of crows is not known. The mursher form is problematic, however, as we must wonder if it was not intended as murder but was mistakenly interpreted as such. We could find no instances of murder with a similar spelling.

*This James Lipton is the same James Lipton who hosts Inside the Actors' Studio (on U.S. cable television) and is a screenwriter, among other things. "

Does this merit a Mars bar, or shall I keep looking?

Paula · Post by **Paula** » Mon May 05, 2003 3:43 pm

a click of locksmiths
a ream of printers

witty_owl · Post by **witty_owl** » Mon May 05, 2003 7:03 pm

GASP! Oh my gosh! Not a parliamentarian?

Hooooooooooot,

tom.d.stiller · Post by **tom.d.stiller** » Mon May 05, 2003 7:06 pm

A pair of lamentarians?

witty_owl · Post by **witty_owl** » Mon May 05, 2003 7:40 pm

Qu. How can you tell when politicians are lying?

A. You can see their lips moving.

An intrusion of cookies.

A pod of has beens.

Hoooot,

Pete · Post by **Pete** » Mon May 05, 2003 9:04 pm

a dose of hypochondriacs?

Sandra · Post by **Sandra** » Tue May 06, 2003 7:21 am

you are cute Byron!

witty_owl · Post by **witty_owl** » Tue May 06, 2003 8:17 am

How about,
A clutch of kleptomaniacs,

A string of guitarists,

A battery of drummers

or a case of psychiatrists.

Cheers,

Andrew McGeever · Post by **Andrew McGeever** » Wed May 07, 2003 1:45 am

Dear Linmag,
I honestly don't know if that's the origin of "a murder of crows". It may well be, and I'll try my best to find out. It remains one of the most attractive collective nouns , and I wish I could use it in a poem, but I haven't got the poem.....
" A Mars every day helps you work, rest and play".
Linmag, prepare for a Mars Bar, (again?)
Yours,
Andrew.

Partisan · Post by **Partisan** » Wed May 07, 2003 1:53 am

A depression of cohenists. Been running through my mind that one. I know we have posted similar.

p.