Collective Nouns

[Waxing_Gibbous (Peter)]

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'.

[taminga16 (Greg)]

Peter,

What is the collective noun for a group of Penguins?
(and no I do not no the answer)
Greg.

[xelasnave]

A collective inteligent or not is a mob... so how about a mob of penguins?
We have so many collective nouns because they offer excellent foder for quiz shows.
alex

[koputai (Jason)]

A 'Flange' of Gorilla's

A '********' of Girraffe

Damn, it won't let me write ********!

Cheers,
Jason.

[Waxing_Gibbous (Peter)]

Penguins? Blimey. No idea. Possibly somethjing like a 'fishbreath'.

[rat156]

There's a "baloon of politicians", an "asylum of Collingwood supporters", but I don't know about penguins.

Cheers
Stuart

[lacad01 (Adam)]

I believe the collective in finance is "wunch of bankers"

[Barrykgerdes]

If you had been reading Ginger Meggs in the Tele for the last few years he has invented collective nouns for just about every thing.

Barry

[Baddad (Marty)]

Hi All & Peter,

This may help out:

colony of penguins, crèche of penguins, huddle of penguins, parcel of penguins, rookery of penguins

Cheers Marty

[middy]

A cluster of astronomers

[taminga16 (Greg)]

Originally Posted by Baddad

Hi All & Peter,

This may help out:

colony of penguins, crèche of penguins, huddle of penguins, parcel of penguins, rookery of penguins

Cheers Marty

What if they are swimming? a flock or shoal perhaps.

Greg.

[Baddad (Marty)]

Originally Posted by taminga16

What if they are swimming? a flock or shoal perhaps.

Greg.

Hi Greg,

Now ya' just be in' hard to get along with.

I suggest " A wet creche of penguins.

Cheers Marty

[AstralTraveller (David)]

Around here the appropriate collective nouns are an absence of professors, a muddle of postgrads and a dither of administrators.

[JimmyH155]

theres a post here that is offensively vulgar

[TrevorW]

Originally Posted by JimmyH155

theres a post here that is offensively vulgar

Where ????

[DavidU (Dave)]

What?.... like a chatter of women?

[Waxing_Gibbous (Peter)]

Guys, gals,
This is just my point. Who REALLY needs to know, for real-life situations, rather than pub trivia nights, WHAT a group of something is called, other than a 'group' or 'bunch' or 'whole lot of' of course.
I'm not gonna start a campaign to do away with collective nouns or anything. They just seem unnecessary.

I am completely flumoxed as to what expletive could be used to describe Giraffes. Probably a good one though!

I just looked it up. Marty's correct. A whole bunch of penguins is a 'colony'.
But that set me to cogetatin' - at what point does a few or some or many of something, garner their semi-official mantle? Become whatever preposterous 'kolectiv' somebody made-up for them during the 19th century?
Less is more in this instance I feel. So I'm taking the easy road and using group, herd, flock, 'a bunch of', and 'some', inter-changably for all animals as, honest-to-God, life's too short to worry about such nonsense.

Anyway. It's a "Nausea" of Politicians, I think.

[JimmyH155]

the 7th post is offensive. Not suitable for a forum that youngsters read. I you dont get it, I feel sorry for you.

[sjastro]

Bird collective nouns can be very strange.

Examples

A peep of chickens
A covert of coots
A murder of crows
An unkindness of ravens.
A parliament of owls.
A charm of goldfinches.

Best non bird one I've heard is a whoop of gorillas.

Steven

[koputai (Jason)]

Originally Posted by sjastro

Best non bird one I've heard is a whoop of gorillas.

No! As I said, it's a Flange of Gorillas. It must be true, it was on Not the Nine O'Clock News. As was the Giraffe one.

Cheers,
Jason.