by beatriceotto | Mar 6, 2019 | collective nouns, put in a good word
A perfect collective noun for a mass of marvels. There are good reasons the first of Patrick Leigh Fermor’s duo of travel books is entitled A Time of Gifts.One of the most beautifully wrought recollections of a youthful stride across Europe, also capturing...
by beatriceotto | Feb 27, 2019 | collective nouns, put in a good word
A poetic collective noun, evoking the soothing cooing of the birds of peace, one of the gentlest sounds in nature (or...
by beatriceotto | Feb 20, 2019 | collective nouns, put in a good word
So now, when you are reporting from a medical conference, you know the correct term to package all those medics together. They are huddling and expostulating as a ‘doctrine’. Perhaps the collective noun refers, however, as much or more to doctors of the...
by beatriceotto | Jan 30, 2019 | collective nouns, put in a good word
What did cobblers do to be nailed with such a bad reputation? When did you ever see a drunken cobbler? Surely they should cobble together a class action, and hobble such aspersions on their profession, particularly given the favourable light cast on any gathering of...
by beatriceotto | Jan 23, 2019 | collective nouns, put in a good word
Having recently revelled in the bursting descriptions of a quaffing, boozing, drunken chef in Mervyn Peake’s Titus Groan, I was surprised to see the collective noun for the profession of cook being ‘temperance’. Perhaps Swelter is the exception...
by beatriceotto | Jan 31, 2018 | put in a good word
A covert is a shelter or a hiding place, from which you might study coots. It can also refer to a thicket in which game can hide. Does this aquatic bird hide itself in thickets (or reeds), to be given this collective noun? See also my review of Arthur...
by beatriceotto | Jan 31, 2018 | put in a good word
A curious collective noun for young horses. Does their occasional prancing exuberance make them look...
by beatriceotto | Jan 31, 2018 | put in a good word
Delightful collective noun this, suggesting a harmless creature soaking up the sun on a warm mud bank. Just don’t tread on one when it’s basking. Or ever. And remember: Row, row, row the boat, gently down the stream, Merrily, merrily, merrily-oh,...
by beatriceotto | Jan 24, 2018 | put in a good word
A memorable collective noun, though perhaps unfair on the poor old crow. I have a soft spot for these intelligent and social birds and am not aware that they are any more murderous than other hungry...
