Obstinate Buffaloes

reesetee commented on the list obstinate-buffaloes

This has already become one of my favorite lists. :-) How about a dissimulation (of birds), a siege (of bitterns), a fling (of dunlins), a bazaar (of guillemots), a deceit (of lapwings), a parliament (of owls), a conspiracy (of ravens), and a plump (of waterfowl)?

I like birds, by the way. :-P

November 16, 2007

yarb commented on the list obstinate-buffaloes

Collective nouns are fun, but does anyone actually use them (apart from a few) in context? A dissimulation of birds?!

November 16, 2007

sonofgroucho commented on the list obstinate-buffaloes

Who actually decides, for example, that a group of owls will be called a parliament?

November 16, 2007

reesetee commented on the list obstinate-buffaloes

Yarb: I don't know. SoG: I don't know, but I wish I did. I just enjoy them for their own sake, I guess. :-) But you're right--lots of them are just plain nutty.

November 16, 2007

yarb commented on the list obstinate-buffaloes

It's interesting isn't it? Where do these come from? Does the OED have citations?

November 16, 2007

skipvia commented on the list obstinate-buffaloes

In some cases, OED has citations. Some of them are from literature, others are just in the vernacular. Like reesetee, I don't usually pursue the etymology--I just like them.

November 16, 2007

skipvia commented on the list obstinate-buffaloes

Thanks, reesetee, for the additional nouns. They're being added. Some of these are available as phrases on this list, but I wanted to create a list using just the collective nouns without the animal(s) to which they referred.

November 16, 2007

reesetee commented on the list obstinate-buffaloes

I've had occasion to check on a few in OED too, and some are described as "fanciful"--meaning, I presume, that no one has a clue where they originated. ;-)

Oh, skipvia--I got that. I added the names of the animals only for reference.

November 16, 2007

trivet commented on the list obstinate-buffaloes

I do love nouns of assemblage!

How about a romp of (river) otters / raft of (sea) otters?

November 16, 2007

skipvia commented on the list obstinate-buffaloes

Reesetee--I very much appreciate that you added the animals. I cited them on Wordie if thy weren't already cited to make this a bit more clear.

November 16, 2007

skipvia commented on the list obstinate-buffaloes

Thanks, trivet. They're added. These make particular sense to me.

November 16, 2007

sonofgroucho commented on the list obstinate-buffaloes

What do we think the collective noun for Wordies should be----a babble, perhaps?

November 16, 2007

chained_bear commented on the list obstinate-buffaloes

Ooh, I like that! A babble of wordies!

November 16, 2007

chained_bear commented on the list obstinate-buffaloes

question, skipvia--we used to say "point of order?"--... is the word obstinant, or obstinate? or obstinancy? Just curious!

November 16, 2007

skipvia commented on the list obstinate-buffaloes

Well, I just discovered that I have been using that word incorrectly all my life. Obstinate would be the correct choice, since obstinant is not actually a word.

This article has an interesting perspective on this common mispronunciation/misuse, along with several others.

Too late for the list, though...

November 16, 2007

reesetee commented on the list obstinate-buffaloes

A babble of Wordies! I like fabricating collective nouns (a shriek of teenage girls, a puff of smokers...shall I go on?).

And I love this: whG/bp (web hits on Google per billion pages). Found it in a link in your article, skipvia. :-)

Oh, and by the way, I think you can edit your list title, should you feel the need.

November 16, 2007

skipvia commented on the list obstinate-buffaloes

Actually, I just edited the list name to reflect the correct spelling of obstinate. We'll see what happens next...

November 16, 2007

reesetee commented on the list obstinate-buffaloes

Never mind, skipvia. You're just having a day. :-|

November 16, 2007

skipvia commented on the list obstinate-buffaloes

I have a lot of those days, reesetee.

November 16, 2007

sionnach commented on the list obstinate-buffaloes

Sting would like to invite you to a murder (of crows)

November 16, 2007

sionnach commented on the list obstinate-buffaloes

skulk is also a venereal term, though I forget of what.

November 16, 2007

skipvia commented on the list obstinate-buffaloes

Thanks, sionnach. Appropriately enough, it applies to foxes.

November 16, 2007

jennarenn commented on the list obstinate-buffaloes

It might be too common, but what about a pride of lions? You seem to be giving ones like herd, flock, and swarm a pass, but I thought I'd offer it up.

November 16, 2007

mcbaine commented on the list obstinate-buffaloes

A congress of baboons have always sounded funny to me. You can also have a troop of baboons. A made-up word that is being thrown around by some and even a few academics is a flange of baboons.

November 16, 2007

reesetee commented on the list obstinate-buffaloes

I wouldn't mind meeting the academics who are throwing that term around, mcbaine. They must have very interesting jobs. If my job as an individual who knows pizza doesn't work out, I'd like to call them. :-)

November 16, 2007

sonofgroucho commented on the list obstinate-buffaloes

Here's a useful link on collective nouns.

November 16, 2007

chained_bear commented on the list obstinate-buffaloes

I vote for congress, rather than flange or troop of baboons. Because when you think of a group of baboons, what else do you think of at the same time? That's right: Congress.

Skipvia, this list is awesome!

Also, I keep typing "babooms." Why?

November 16, 2007

reesetee commented on the list obstinate-buffaloes

C_b, your fingers must want to coin a new word. Babooms definitely has promise.

November 16, 2007

yarb commented on the list obstinate-buffaloes

I believe baboons are known to boom on occasion.

That is, when they are not in congress.

November 17, 2007

madmouth commented on the list obstinate-buffaloes

"unkindness", as in 'an unkindness of ravens'

April 30, 2009