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#202933 - 10/24/11 12:47 PM a murder of crows
wordsaregood 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 Carpal Tunnel Registered: 04/03/00 Posts: 10472 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 Carpal Tunnel Registered: 03/15/00 Posts: 11582 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 Carpal Tunnel Registered: 04/03/00 Posts: 10472 Loc: this too shall pass	well, thank you, Rhonda O.
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#202946 - 10/25/11 09:06 AM Re: a murder of crows [Re: wordsaregood]
BranShea 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 Carpal Tunnel Registered: 03/15/00 Posts: 11582 Loc: Louisville, Kentucky	[bow]
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#202962 - 10/26/11 08:56 AM Re: anthology of pros [Re: tsuwm]
Jackie Carpal Tunnel Registered: 03/15/00 Posts: 11582 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 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 Carpal Tunnel Registered: 03/15/00 Posts: 11582 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 Pooh-Bah Registered: 09/21/10 Posts: 1705 Loc: down under	I like that Jackie
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