I have a memory from about my tenth year or so, standing in our backyard with a few of my siblings, watching several “V”s of geese flying overhead. I remember the sun was setting, and the sky was that dark blue that signals that the stars will be arriving soon. We still had enough time to play a while longer before the summer sun finished painting the clouds pink, rose, and purple and took its rest beyond the horizon.
We watched the geese, and heard their calls filtering down to us mere land-locked human beings. I heard my visiting uncle ask out loud if anyone knew what a flock of geese was called. “A gaggle,” I said out loud. “That’s exactly right!” he replied, the surprise in his voice obvious. I guess he didn’t realize how much reading I used to do. It was no big deal to me, however, and as the geese’s calls faded away and the V formations disappeared from sight, my brothers and sisters and I finished up whatever we were doing and retired inside for the night, just as the sun did the same.
That memory came to mind as I recently came across a listing of names for groups of things, or collective nouns, as they are properly called. For example:
a BANK of swans (also BEVY)
a BASK of crocodiles
a BARREN of mules
a BENCH of bishops
a BLOAT of hippopotamuses (hippopotami?)
a BUSINESS of flies – or ferrets
a CHARM or GRIST of bees – or a CHARM finches
a CLOWDER of cats (not “chowder”!) – or CLUSTER – or GLARING
a CLUTTER of spiders
a CRASH of rhinoceroseseses
a DESCENSION of woodpeckers
a DISWORSHIP of Scots
a DRUNKENSHIP of cobblers (why just cobblers, I wonder?)
a FLUSH of ducks
a GAM of whales – or whaling ships, POD of whales
a HASTINESS of crooks (makes sense, I guess)
a LEAP of leopards (made me smile)
a LOUNGE of lizards (made me smile more)
a MURDER of crows
a NEVERTHRIVING of jugglers (makes sense, too, I guess!)
an OBSTINANCY of buffalo (not mules?)
an OSTENTATION/PRIDE of peacocks (yep, that fits.)
a PARLIAMENT of owls
a PARTY of jays – or a SCOLD
a PITEOUSNESS/PITYING of doves – or BEVY
a RABBLE of butterflies (that’s new – I always called them “flocks”)
a RAFFLE of turkeys (well, at Thanksgiving, and for a good cause, I suppose) – or maybe they meant RAFTER
Lots of RAFTS – coots, auks, ducks, penguins
A RICHES of matrons
a ROOKERY of penguins
a SCREECH of gulls (makes sense, too)
a SCULL of friars (named for their tonsure, maybe?)
a SLITHER of snakes (definitely makes sense)
a STARE of owls
a STUD of mares????
a SUPERFLUITY of nuns? They are never superfluous!
a TUMULT of tuba players (from the tuba players I knew – right on)
a TURN of turtles (on a fence post!)
an UGLY of walruses 😀
an UNBREWING of carvers (I guess they never drank and carved)
a WAKE of buzzards (they’d keep ME awake!)
WEDGES – of flying geese or swan
There were many more. Many animals had several different collective nouns (ducks and water fowl in general were very popular, for example). It makes me wonder – what do you call a collection of:
Republicans
Democrats
Liberals
Really stupid liberals
Really weak Republicans
Staffers for the above
Doormen at the Senate cafeteria
Presidential cabinet – Obama
Presidential cabinet – Palin (should she ever become President)
Protestors – liberal
Protestors – conservative
MSNBC talk show hosts
FOX News hosts
Friday night crowd after a high school football game
Thursday night bowling leaguers
*****
I’m sure this crowd can come up with some good ones. Your mission, should you decide to stay out of the heat this weekend with nothing else to do, is to come up with creative names for certain collections.
The winner gets a prize to be determined by Hammy’s Grammy.
Keep it clean. Well, as clean as you can.
Weekend “Gather ’em Up” Open Comments
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Hiyooooooooo. A classic.
Hamous;
Johnny Carson was the best of the best of the best.
Imagine if he had copper clappers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNXElmEUIJo
That’s to the world’s fastest clapper. He demonstrated clapping 14 times per second. It’s a video my brother-in-law just showed the family. Simply incredible.
#104 Lawrence
I assume that would be Uncle Teddy?
Darren Galveston beaches ain’t got nothin’ on these beaches’ with soft white sand and transparent turquoise waters. God’s country for sure! When I was young we went to Panama City Beach several times a year because we lived 2 hours away and I had no idea that it was the prettiest beach on the earth. I’ve been to all the… Read more »
I’ve noticed the grim reaper has repeatedly fallen down on the job when it comes to ridding humanity of pus balls like Chavez. I can think of at least one prominent American politician/murderer/drunken slob that it seemed like forever before the reaper was able to punch his card.
It looks like Hugo Chavez may be having a face to face meeting with Bin Laden sometime in the not too distant future. Chávez silence has led to chatter and speculation in Venezuela that the socialist leader is actually suffering from prostate cancer. Intelligence officials could not confirm a diagnosis of prostate cancer but Chávez family did go to Cuba… Read more »
If he’s a Conservative, then the only things ha can be is racist, stupid, or crazy. Even the Establishment Republicans play that game.
Beck is hardly an anti-Semite.
Kook, yes. Anti-Semite, no.
Las dos.
In Prime Minister Netanyahu’s 1999 book A Durable Peace he writes: If there had been a Jewish state in the first half of the century, there would have been no holocaust. And if there had not been a Jewish state after the holocaust, there would have been no Jewish future. The state of Israel is not only the repository of… Read more »
This state has got to have the loudest roads on the planet.
Is Mrs. Darren a Cracker or was she a just an Air Force brat?
Hamous #90; After reading the content of that story and the fact that there’s a lack of independent reports on such a significant event, i too am skeptical. However, with what seems to be a recent trend to rampage stores in mob-like fashion as well as to start fights, I fear what was reported in Peoria will soon become reality.… Read more »
Welcome, jawat.
There you go, Bonecrusher. 🙂
The family and I left a little after 10;30 pm last Friday and arrived at Pensacola around 7:30 am. Not bad timing I’d say. We had breakfast at Cracker Barrel and then visited a friend of Mrs. Darren’s first. He’s a paraplegic Mrs. Darren’s father used to take care of. As far as I know he’s the man’s all time… Read more »
#91 Adee: Speaker Boehner ought to read her the litany of shutouts of Republicans during her tenure (aka reign of terror) as Speaker and tell her to stuff it. That is waaaaaaaaay too nice. I would suggest a forensic audit of the entire process while Nanzi was SOH. I would be willing to bet big bucks that she criminally abused… Read more »
Good Sunday afternoon Hamsters. Popping in to check on everybody before making the rounds of planters to water the baby elephants again. Flowerbeds and lawn (big elephants) are ok for one more day. The grass is working on becoming emerald green again but won’t make it without more of God’s rain. Maybe by next weekend??? Added three more gallons of… Read more »
#89 – I am very skeptical of that story. All links in every story on the web seem to be based on a google cache of a website that isn’t working. Nothing on local Peoria news outlets. Something smells fishy.
“Peorians living in fear” It seems there are mobs of young black yutes running around, threatening to kill all the the white people. The advice being given: Residents are very shaken, both black and white alike. This is the fifth large mob action in about a month with smaller groups of 10-12 are out threatening children and adults a few… Read more »
A FLATULENCE of Congressmen.
WHY WEREN’T THESE TERD-NOZZLES CHARGED WITH A HATE CRIME?? Four members of a teenage gang have been charged under a state’s lynching law after allegedly beating an 18-year-old student so badly he required facial reconstruction surgery. South Carolina prosecutors have charged the boys with second-degree assault and battery by mob, a crime which until last year was known as lynching.… Read more »
#79
http://www.londonbridgeresort.com/ContactUs.aspx
#80 Tim
Do what? Turn 50? Young’uns! 🙂
#75 Bones
I wonder if her flights back & forth to San Franfreako (as Dr Savage sometimes calls it) have diminished since she lost her “Air Force #3” personal ride?
Dealing with a child with learning disabilities, I can relate to these awesome parents. I remember the pain I went through when Handsome Son wasn’t able to say “I love you”. At least he would hug me. Autistic children are more withdrawn, so these folks couldn’t even get a spontaneous show of affection. They kept plugging away for their kid.… Read more »
Hard nosed and tough House speaker John Boner responds to Obumma’s violation of the War Powers Act.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N24BTzOp7qU&feature=related
How about anybody who has more than a 80 IQ and is paying attention! I understand TOWBWF is trying to jump in front of the already falling fuel prices and take credit for it. Maybe I’m stupid but with the cost of filling your tank is so front and center to so many peoples lives it’s hard for me to… Read more »
We went to a suprise 50th BD party last night for an old buddy. He’s the last of four of us guys who worked together for years from the early 90’s and our spouses to do so.
Guess the train keeps on rolling.
Geithner says that the oil release from the SPR was not a political move. Yeah, and I have a bridge in Arizona I want to sell you. I wonder how many people actually believe this BS? Since oil prices already had fallen from early-May peaks near $115 a barrel, critics said the action appeared aimed at propping up President Barack… Read more »
Speaking of gumbo, I just dug out some ham hocks and beans for the crock pot. Make some cornbread ’bout 6PM. Hmmmmmmm-mmmm-mmmmmmmmm
The Rhambo crowd in Chi-Town is pretty close to insane. Speaking to parishoners at St. Sabina Church earlier this month, Chicago Police Supt. Garry McCarthy took to the microphone after Father Michael Pfleger spoke about gun control. McCarthy said the topic of race is a sensitive issue “because everybody’s afraid of race” but that he wasn’t afraid to broach the… Read more »
Heh Heh Heh he said flatullary.
This is almost amusing:
I wonder what part of “Hey beyotch, elections have consequences – you lost and we won so get over it” she doesn’t understand?
gumbo.
a DIVORCE of crabs.
O’butthead’s antics with the SPR closely mimic the habit of the Roman emperors who would have their minions throw loaves of bread to the crowd to make them cheer just as the emperor was coming into the colosseum. Those that were paying attention were appalled and those that were getting the bread thought it was great; those that weren’t paying… Read more »
A CLUTCH of crabs
I always thought it was a scatch of crabs.
#65 OTL
I heard someone say on the radio maybe Obama could kill Bin Laden again right before the election.
The FDA is making tobacco makers warn smokers more graphically about the dangers of smoking. They ordered every pack of cigarettes to display gross and unwatchable pictures.
One of them is Anthony Weiner smoking while he is exposing himself to you.
#59 GTOTracker: I guess that the fact that ST. Xavier is a private university, not funded by tax dollars, makes it a particularly delicious target. This kind of crapola is just the beginning if the D’s ever think they have a lock on power again. Forget about the right to keep and bear arms forget about the Constitution and the… Read more »
63 El Gordo:
Wonder what crack ho he gottem from?
The White House let out thirty million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to try to drive down gas prices before the election. President Obama is trying everything he can to boost his ratings.
If this doesn’t work, he is going get another dog and another child.
A CLUSTER of crabs?
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110625/us_nm/us_henderson
O.K. I give up. After several tries it won’t post. ?? No dirty words in it.
Granny H musta got up on the wrong side of the bed today. — wb
Spittle of Republicans Elitell of Democrats Consnortium of Liberals Bovary of really stupid liberals Pisstle of really weak Republicans Potty of staffers for the above Anallulus of doormen at the Senate cafeteria Nozzeleum of Presidential cabinet – Obama Pride of Presidential cabinet – Palin (should she ever become President) Fartiner of protestors – liberal Brietling of protestors – conservative Flatullary… Read more »
Wonder why my G’Morning post isn’t coming up? I’ll try for the third time.