Conference thebay::joyoflex

298.0. "Group names" by PABLO::RECKARD () Tue Dec 30 1986 07:46

I came across these in _The Grasshopper Trap_, by Patrick McManus, an outdoor
(as in hunting and fishing) writer of some repute.  The first group of group
names, he claims, are legitimate.

A group of:	is known as:			A group of:	is known as:

larks		exaltation			foxes		skulk
grouse		covey (family)			starlings	chattering
		pack (more than a family)	storks		mustering
ferrets		business			ravens		unkindness
geese		flock (if standing around)	herons		siege
		skein (if in the air)		leopards	leap
		gaggle (if on the water)	crows		murder
rhinoceri	crash				elk		gang
eagles		convocation			bears		sloth
hummingbirds	charm

Then there's:

Cub Scouts, meeting in somone's living room	den
Cub Scouts, meeting in your living room		din
den mothers					frazzle
spouses of den mothers				weekly poker game

fishermen
	at beginning of day			exuberance
	at end of unsuccessful day		sulk
						alternately, grumble
	surprised by a group (mayhem) of cows	panic
						occasionally, skein (see geese)
ice fishermen					chatter, or chill
						loony (used by spouses of
						  ice fishermen)

spouses of fishermen				crash (see legitimate terms)
	(these terms are occasionally		alternately, leap, or murder
	 appropriate for a single spouse)

hunters						boast, or tedium

kid campers heading home after hearing a
  mountain lion scream near their camp		berserk

skunk trappers					whiff

camp cooks					cramp

Sorry.  Emendation follows:

spouses of fishermen after a three-day lark	crash (see legitimate terms)
  (or exaltation thereof)			alternately, leap, or murder
	(these terms are occasionally
	 appropriate for a single spouse)

    See also Note 39 of this conference.

    
    	A group of Teenagers is a "Mess"
            
    "Hon, why's the house in such disarray?!"
    "There was a mess of teenagers in here tonight, they just left!"
    
    Don Arey