As my 200 Newt awaits a new secondary and the Tak is somewhere in warranty limbo, I've been doing a bit of Birdwatching in the early hours.
I had no idea we had so much bird-life around here. I'm gonna have to start charging "flock" rent.
Which brings me to my question. Why are there so many collective nouns for things?
A "gaggle" of Geese. A "murder" of crows". An "exhaltation of Larks"
Why not just a 'flock'
This is not just confined to birds obviously:
A "pod" of whales, A "pride" of lions. A "school" of fish.....etc etc.
Why not just a "group" or "herd" of what-evers?
I suppose it makes pedants feel superior when they can trot out the "real" name of a bunch of Jellyfish or somesuch, but it doesn't seem to make a lot of sense from a practical point of view.
I mean, if you're
talking about Cockatoos surely no one will get confused with Wildebeest if you call their group a 'herd'.
