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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
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old hand
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OP
old hand
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Here's a URL with some mildly interesting comments on the subject: http://www.kith.org/logos/words/upper/V.htmlMaking up those names used to be a parlor game, and most of them don't stand close scrutiny, as many animals just don't come in groups, except as pairs.Only a few have been used as standard, such as pride of lions, pod of whales, etc.
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old hand
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old hand
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pod of whales is especially funny because they have no feet! 
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old hand
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OP
old hand
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 833 |
because they have no feet!
yes, why DO we have "pod of whales," I suddenly wonder? I was thinking it's because each individual whale *could* be seen as being rather pod-shaped (like a pod of peas), but a group of them ain't....
And why a "school of fish"?
And does anyone else think any of the ones I originally listed are a bit strange? "A leash of foxes" - since when did foxes ever come on leashes? and many more struck me as peculiar - didn't they strike anyone else so?!
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
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Yes, I was struck peculiar and I mentioned it earlier: according to Lipton, many of these are nonce-words.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jan 2001
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For a general discusssion for collective nouns, there is a very good article at Julian Burnside's site: http://www.users.bigpond.com/burnside/collective.htmThe site is quite large, and if you don't already know it, it is good for quite a few hours of very pleasant browsing.
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Joined: Jun 2002
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 7,210 |
And does anyone else think any of the ones I originally listed are a bit strange? "A leash of foxes" - since when did foxes ever come on leashes? and many more struck me as peculiar - didn't they strike anyone else so?!
doncha know poetree when ya see it? sheesh, all that purty langage gwine to waste...
formerly known as etaoin...
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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Jan 2001
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a body of pathologists
a strut of surgeons
a film of radiologists...
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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NO!
A corps of pathologists.
TEd
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