A sounder is also a means of measuring depth, especially of water in which vessels float. Presumably the word also refers to a person who does that job.

"Can you think of other creative group nouns?" How about a ream of lawyers?

If you like these sorts of words, I strongly suggest the reference book, "An Exaltation of Larks," by James Lipton. The entire book is a compendum of the plurals of various objects, e.g., a purple of admirals, a superfluity of nuns, etc.

I always thought that sounder was as in the story of inept hunters discussing their day around a table in a tavern when one hunter was asked how his day went. I got off a couple of "sounders", but didn't bag anything. Asked what a sounder was, he replied that he heard something in the brush and fired in that direction.

Can anyone confirm this rumor? I heard that most of the stranger collective nouns, like an "exaultation" of larks, and so on, were actually made up for fun by the Victorians, and were never actually used seriously.

Hey, welcome, everybody! Truly. Hope you all stick around, she said still writhing inwardly from the result of the last time she sent what was intended simply to be a very gentle suggestion to several new people...and they all disappeared.

A friend came up with a few of these several years ago. My favorites were:

1) a suit of lawyers
2) a sackbutt of beer drinkers
3) a geek of chess players

I know trombone players that don't drink beer...

welcome revans66!

Recalls a university past-time with my best friend during accounting courses. My favorite was the self-depricating:

A bore of accountants

[Insert witty wordplay relating to Sounder being a group of boars here]

Odd, I would have said a column of accountants.

sort of going out on a ledge, er, here, but how about a table of accountants?

eeeesh!

would that be a life of eees?