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#202933 - 10/24/11 12:47 PM a murder of crows
wordsaregood Offline
stranger

Registered: 10/24/11
Posts: 1
etymology of the "murder" portion of this animal-gang term is fuzzy at best. Do any of you wordies care to venture an opinion/research? Would appreciate.

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#202935 - 10/24/11 04:34 PM Re: a murder of crows [Re: wordsaregood]
tsuwm Online   confused
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 04/03/00
Posts: 10464
Loc: this too shall pass
even the OED is uncertain on this, but suggests perhaps alluding to the crow's traditional association with violent death, or, as suggested in quot. 1939, to its harsh and raucous cry.

on a related note..
Four scholars at Oxford were making their way down the street, and happened to see a group of ladies of the evening. “What’s this?” said the first. “A jam of tarts?” “Nay,” said the second, “an essay of Trollope’s.” “Rather, a flourish of strumpets,” advanced the third. “No, gentlemen,” concluded the last. “Here we have an anthology of pros.” [thanx to Quinion]

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#202942 - 10/24/11 09:45 PM Re: anthology of pros [Re: tsuwm]
Jackie Offline
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 03/15/00
Posts: 11579
Loc: Louisville, Kentucky
Too bad they weren't reading at the time. (anthology of prose)

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#202943 - 10/25/11 12:45 AM Re: anthology of pros [Re: Jackie]
tsuwm Online   confused
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 04/03/00
Posts: 10464
Loc: this too shall pass
well, thank you, Rhonda O. wink

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#202946 - 10/25/11 09:06 AM Re: a murder of crows [Re: wordsaregood]
BranShea Offline
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 06/23/06
Posts: 5249
Loc: Netherlands, the Hague
Never saw this before : A murder of crows.
Looked it up. How clever we are to put the blame elsewhere since it's not the crows that do the murders (except steal eggs and tiny creatures for food). It's them that clean up our murders from war and other kills. So to they seem to me sooner a shift of crows.

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#202951 - 10/25/11 08:37 PM Re: anthology of pros [Re: tsuwm]
Jackie Offline
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 03/15/00
Posts: 11579
Loc: Louisville, Kentucky
[bow] laugh

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#202962 - 10/26/11 08:56 AM Re: anthology of pros [Re: tsuwm]
Jackie Offline
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 03/15/00
Posts: 11579
Loc: Louisville, Kentucky
You may call me Rhonda any time you like, sir. :^)

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#202971 - 10/27/11 06:34 AM Re:murder of crows [Re: Jackie]
Candy Offline
Pooh-Bah

Registered: 09/21/10
Posts: 1705
Loc: down under
I looked it up too and found more

Collective Words

a 'lounge of lizards' tickled my fancy.

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#202983 - 10/27/11 09:01 PM Re:murder of crows [Re: wordsaregood]
Jackie Offline
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 03/15/00
Posts: 11579
Loc: Louisville, Kentucky
Fancy...fancy. There oughta be something that could be. Let's see-- a fancy of...fools?

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#202989 - 10/28/11 08:36 AM Re:murder of crows [Re: Jackie]
Candy Offline
Pooh-Bah

Registered: 09/21/10
Posts: 1705
Loc: down under
I like that Jackie laugh

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