Yes, I know discussing nouns sounds totally boring. But, we
are readers and writers. Nouns are part of our lives. I have a very favorite
book that you may know: An Exaltation of
Larks by James Lipton. It was originally published in 1968 and has a number
of reprints. I recently pulled my well-worn copy off the shelf and began to yet
again flip the pages. It’s the type of book you don’t need to read front to
back- only have fun as you peruse.
The entire premise of the book is to list collective nouns
by categories, such as animals, home and family, or romance and raunch. Most of
the expressions are accurate (gaggle of geese), while there are others that I
wonder about their origin (a score of bachelors). Nevertheless it is a delight
to flip the pages
Here are some examples from Lipton’s collection. Please add
your own to the list. We can have fun with this!
A pack of dogs, but a
litter of puppies
Isn’t it interesting how the collective noun can change
based on the age of the animal?
Staying with the animals:
A herd of horses, but
a string of ponies
A brood of hens, but a
run of poultry
On another theme:
A bench of judges
A board of trustees
A posse of vigilantes
And then he also gets silly:
A rendering of
architects
A flush of plumbers
A sesame of locksmiths
An aroma of bakers
A ring of jewelers
A lot of realtors
I do recommend this funny and lovely book if you wish to
laugh, learn and live with nouns. But, I need to warn you. Many who share your
house might not find the game as fun as we. My husband is threatening to hide
the book when my back is turned. It comes off the shelf every few years and he
groans each time. Quoting the Oxford English Dictionary, he pleads that he can
only handle one wife and not a bevy of
ladies.
What can you add to this crazy list- invented or not?
2 comments:
This is the first time I've heard about this book. How cute. And informative. All this stuff is hard to keep up with. I asked Austin a question the other day; something to do with this. I can't remember what it was now, but it was something to do with a herd, I think.
Now it's going to make me crazy trying to remember what it was I couldn't remember.
Anita: Join the club in the "I can't remember" group! It is a fun book, and informative. My husband just wishes I'd forget where I put it and stop laughing as I share "a premise of logicians" or "a pound of pianists".
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