"Properly practiced, knitting soothes the troubled spirit, and it doesn't hurt the untroubled spirit either." ~ Elizabeth Zimmerman

11/24/10

Group Names

The Grasshopper TrapI've been reading a book called The Grasshopper Trap by Patrick F. McManus. It's a very funny book of stories from the life of the author that, I assume, are heavily exaggerated. (At least, I hope so) There are stories from his child hood, hunting expeditions, fishing trips, and whatnot. He's a very good funny writer. I learned something from this book last night. Did you know that different groups of animals have different names? We all know herd of deer, horses, or cows, and pack of wolves, dogs, and gum. But here are some proper group names I was not aware of.

A group of Larks is an exaltation.

A family group of Grouse is a covey, but if it's a group that consists of more than one family it's called a pack.

A group of Ferrets is called a business.

Flock is the correct term for a group of Geese, but only if they are on the ground. If they're in the air it's called a skein of Geese, and if they're on the water they are a gaggle of Geese.

A group of Rhinoceroses is called a crash. If ever there was a more appropriate word for that, I don't know what it would be.

A group of Toads is called a knot.

My favorite is a group of Hummingbirds. It's called a charm.

Other group names:

A convocation of Eagles.
A skulk of Foxes.
A chattering of Starlings
A mustering of Storks
An unkindness of Ravens
A siege of Herons
A leap of Leopards
A congress of Baboons (why does this not surprise me?)
A pride of Lions
A murder of Crows

A group of Knitters is called a Knitalong, a club, or if you wanna get formal about it, a guild. Sometimes a class. Especially if there's a teacher telling everyone else how to do something. The ultimate group of knitters is called Ravelry.

More group names.

Live long and prosper. \\//

24 down, 6 to go.

1 comment:

  1. Pat experienced most those things in the book...then he embellished some, lol! He grew up with us, and he graduated with one of my bros...

    We all grew up hanging out and my honey and bros all
    did all those crazy things together
    growing up. Keep reading his
    books...they are a hoot...He is
    still just "Pat" to all of us..
    Hugs...Jan

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