A Coterie of Collective Names
I had previously thought that all of those funny collective names that we have for groups of animals (gaggle of geese, pod of whales) were invented sometime in the Victorian age by bored wealthy people who made them up as a parlour game. Not the case! They were, in fact, first listed in the Book of St. Albans, printed in England around 1480. The same book also lists collective nouns for different professions. So the next time you happen to see a group of nuns loping along, you’ll know to call them a “superfluity”.
HA! Very funny Jim! It’s this wit and charm that keeps “Ellie” in my list of top webcomics!
Ah, but how do we know the wealthy people weren’t bored in the 15th century? (And no, “Too busy fighting the Moorish invasion” is not a valid excuse)
Hilarious, Jim.
Thanks guys! Frank, I suppose every time period has its own group of bored wealthy people. I wonder what the collective name for that group is?
A bushel of Blimpoids 😛
Of course!
On the subject of collective nouns, strongly recommend “An Exaltation of Larks” by James Lipton…Long before “Inside the Actors’ Studio.”
Thanks for the recommendation, gbe_nyc. The title alone makes me want to check it out. It reminds me of this videot hat’s been making the Facebook rounds lately. It also reminded me that I saw an advertisement for something with Imperial Stormtroopers called “Troops of Doom”, but I read it as “Doom of Troops”. That would be a great name for a collective of Stormtroopers.
I took a peek at the Wikipedia link, and learned the Book of St. Albans is in part based on a manuscript known as “Richard Strangways’s Book”. 🙂
Incidentally, I know the mention of a “superfluity” of nuns was just meant as a little joke, but I wouldn’t joke about nuns, myself. The mixing of Greek philosophy into Christianity, which happened very early in Church history, brought with it horrible attitudes towards women. Nuns were women entirely within the Church’s power. Jesus foretold an apostasy would come, see the Bible book of Matthew, chapter 13, verses 24 to 30 and 36 to 43. I’m looking forward to the foretold end of that apostasy.