海角大神

Words that refer to groups of individuals are collective nouns, and English speakers love them. My local library system has around 30 books that will tell you that a bunch of penguins is a 鈥渉uddle鈥� or a 鈥渢uxedo鈥� and that lots of giraffes make up a 鈥渢ower.鈥� It is great fun to guess at the connection between the animal and its group designator, to see how creative the naming can get. But are these terms anything more than cool coinages? Has anyone in all seriousness ever said, 鈥淟ook at that massive unkindness of ravens in that tree!鈥� or 鈥淥h no, I鈥檓 right in the middle of a smack of jellyfish!鈥�? Do people, in other words, actually use them?

These terms, also called company names, have been collected and enjoyed for more than 500 years. Three of the very first books printed in England contained long lists of them: 鈥渁 brace of hounds,鈥� 鈥渁 charm of goldfinches,鈥� a 鈥渢ruelove of turtledoves.鈥� Many originated as 鈥渢erms of venery,鈥� which is a fancy word for 鈥渉unting.鈥� This gives us an idea of what these words were originally meant to do 鈥� they served as shibboleths to separate and rank people. One circa 1470 collection described itself as containing words a 鈥測oung gentleman鈥� should know, so that he 鈥渇ail not in his proper terms.鈥� If you were a newly wealthy merchant who wanted your son to hobnob with noblemen, he had to know that one said 鈥渁 herd of harts鈥� (mature male deer) but 鈥渁 bevy of roe鈥� (a species of small deer).聽

Even in the 15th century, though, collective nouns could also be just plain fun. Writers vied to come up with the best names, not just for groups of animals, but for people and professions, too. Early lists feature 鈥渁n eloquence of lawyers,鈥� 鈥渁 burden of mules,鈥� 鈥渁n impatience of wives,鈥� 鈥渁 leap of leopards.鈥� You could have both a 鈥渕elody of harpers鈥� and a 鈥減overty鈥� of them, depending on your attitude to the instrument. There could be a 鈥渟uperfluity of nuns鈥� or a 鈥渉oliness,鈥� depending on your attitude to the Protestant Reformation. These are simply creative and funny, not terms that Joe Merchant would have had to master in order to hunt with the aristocracy.聽

Some of these have indeed passed into common use. We regularly say 鈥渁 swarm of bees,鈥� 鈥渁 pride of lions,鈥� and 鈥渁 flock of sheep,鈥� for example. Others turn up in a few scattered sources over the centuries: 鈥渁 murmuration of starlings,鈥� 鈥渁 murder of crows.鈥� Most, however, are not actually used in everyday communication and are found only in these lists. They are evidence of an old game that we still delight in. All over the internet people are wondering: Is it a 鈥渢angle of octopuses鈥� or an 鈥渆mbrace鈥�? A 鈥渟quirm of worms鈥� or a 鈥渨riggle鈥�? 聽

Next week, we鈥檒l take a closer look at some of my favorites.

颁濒颈肠办听here聽to read Part 2 in this series.