A few days ago, we had some #FunWithCollectiveNouns on Twitter. A shrewdness of apes, a smack of jellyfish, a business of ferrets, An Exaltation of Larks. I like that kind of thing, and apparently, I am not alone.
A reader tipped me off to All Sorts—”a collection of collective nouns that may or may not have found their way into the Oxford English Dictionary. If you think that a charismatic collective is far superior to a dullard ‘bunch’ or ‘flock’ then this is the place for you.”
Readers are encouraged to coin new phrases, which the community votes on. (The voting takes place on Twitter, but the results are open to everyone. Currently ranked near the top are “a handful of muppets,” “a whorde of prostitutes,” and “a clot of vampires.” If you’re interested, here’s how it works.)
Let’s Get Competitive
We have a beautiful book to give away today—The Violin: An Illustrated History by Yehudi Menuhin (list price: $50), so let’s throw an impromptu collective noun contest. Come up with something original and leave it in the comments.
You may enter as many times as you like. We’ll let this go for a couple days, then announce a winner on Thursday early next week (funny submissions keep coming in, so let’s extend this through the weekend).
[Image courtesy of Michael Lyons. See more of his work here.]
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A variance of statisticians.
A keg of geologists.
posted by terrabyte on 3-2-2010 at 4:46 pm
a score of musicians
posted by Dena on 3-2-2010 at 4:56 pm
a concorde of violins
posted by Travis on 3-2-2010 at 4:58 pm
a constantinople of ancient cities
posted by dre on 3-2-2010 at 5:02 pm
A suit of lawyers. Double pun!
posted by Brad on 3-2-2010 at 5:05 pm
A friend of mine, I can’t take credit for it but I’m using it here, coined “a sob of emo kids.” As in, “a sob of emo kids were hanging around in the mall lobby today.”
posted by Nicole on 3-2-2010 at 5:24 pm
A suicide of Hemingways.
posted by Sam on 3-2-2010 at 5:29 pm
A crapload of manure.
I know, I know, but I just couldn’t resist….
posted by Mark on 3-2-2010 at 5:35 pm
an aarmory of knights!
a congregation of loners!
a herd of mutes!
a gang of girlscouts!
a cast of outcasts!
a cloud of forecasters!
a litter of environmentalists!
a prickle of pickles!
posted by Becky on 3-2-2010 at 5:37 pm
A host of viruses
posted by lindseyc on 3-2-2010 at 5:43 pm
a school of teachers
posted by lindseyc on 3-2-2010 at 5:45 pm
mob of mobsters
posted by Katie Rose on 3-2-2010 at 5:56 pm
a rhumba of robots
a desert of desserts
a scourge of pirates
a muster of minute-men
a conspiracy of theories
a sleuth of detectives
a scold of wives
a murder of inmates
posted by Mary on 3-2-2010 at 6:10 pm
A handful of gloves
posted by Lee on 3-2-2010 at 6:48 pm
A Windowless Van of Pedophiles
A Madonna of Metamucil
A Snitload of Snorks
posted by Curt Peinhardt on 3-2-2010 at 6:52 pm
A spool of (Mental) _Flossers
posted by Amy on 3-2-2010 at 6:54 pm
A Carl’s Junior of Kardashians
A Mountain of Yogurt
posted by Curt Peinhardt on 3-2-2010 at 6:54 pm
A String of Theory…
BAZINGA!
posted by Amy on 3-2-2010 at 6:56 pm
A shock of Electricians
posted by Amy on 3-2-2010 at 6:58 pm
A Boatload of Cargo Pants
posted by Curt Peinhardt on 3-2-2010 at 6:58 pm
A ContINKgency of pen-users
posted by Amy on 3-2-2010 at 7:00 pm
An Ace of Base
A Belushi of Samurais
posted by Curt Peinhardt on 3-2-2010 at 7:01 pm
A Splattering of Pollocks
posted by Amy on 3-2-2010 at 7:03 pm
A Redemption of Money Orders
posted by Curt Peinhardt on 3-2-2010 at 7:04 pm
A HOTSEX of attention-grabbing slogans
posted by Curt Peinhardt on 3-2-2010 at 7:06 pm
A scent of Parfumeries
posted by Amy on 3-2-2010 at 7:07 pm
A drip of sinus infections
posted by Amy on 3-2-2010 at 7:08 pm
A hyperbole of excessutives
posted by Amy on 3-2-2010 at 7:10 pm
A Bubble of Speechwriters
posted by Amy on 3-2-2010 at 7:15 pm
A Sneak of Spies
posted by Amy on 3-2-2010 at 7:16 pm
A Core of APPLE Enthusiasts
posted by Amy on 3-2-2010 at 7:19 pm
A Regency of Jane Austen fans
posted by Amy on 3-2-2010 at 7:20 pm
A Streak of Nudists
posted by Amy on 3-2-2010 at 7:21 pm
A Commencement of Graduates
posted by Amy on 3-2-2010 at 7:23 pm
A slobber of dogs
A hairball of cats
A congress of idiots (apologies to Mark Twain)
posted by John Bejarano on 3-2-2010 at 7:23 pm
A Reflux of Heartburn Sufferers
posted by Amy on 3-2-2010 at 7:25 pm
A Fold of Origamists
posted by Amy on 3-2-2010 at 7:26 pm
A vision of T.V. shows
A string of violins
A pocket of nerds
A bind of books
A ton of scales
A jerk of chickens
A flap of wings
A grab of hands
A plate of dishes
A virus of diseases
A spam of reCAPTCHA
posted by Hannah on 3-2-2010 at 7:37 pm
A Brangelina of adopted babies
posted by Curt Peinhardt on 3-2-2010 at 7:44 pm
A question of answers
posted by Rick on 3-2-2010 at 8:12 pm
an answer of questions
posted by Rick on 3-2-2010 at 8:13 pm
A waste of time
posted by Rick on 3-2-2010 at 8:14 pm
A drink of water.
posted by Rick on 3-2-2010 at 8:16 pm
A dinka adinka doo!
posted by Rick on 3-2-2010 at 8:18 pm
a slew of Kavorkians
posted by cdk on 3-2-2010 at 8:28 pm
A variable or class of software developers.
A synergy of managers.
A tumble of puppies.
A disdain of cats.
A snooze of hamsters.
A gordian of rope.
posted by Melle on 3-2-2010 at 9:13 pm
a lala of smurfs
an alias of codenames…
or better yet, a codename of aliases…
or even a codex of aliases
posted by Narnian Moon on 3-2-2010 at 9:49 pm
a monarch of butterflies
posted by Narnian Moon on 3-2-2010 at 9:59 pm
i like “parliament of owls.”
posted by duke on 3-2-2010 at 10:00 pm
A Pot of Marijuana users
posted by Amy on 3-2-2010 at 10:37 pm
A kernel of corny jokes
posted by Amy on 3-2-2010 at 10:39 pm
a waffle of politicians
a mess of toddlers
a pool of gamblers
a bolt of tasers
posted by Jordan on 3-2-2010 at 10:43 pm
A hush of mimes (props to my wife for that one).
posted by Geoff Casavant on 3-2-2010 at 10:45 pm
A Fountain of Pens
posted by Amy on 3-2-2010 at 11:29 pm
A gaggle of bulimics
A surfeit of boogeyboarders
A crapload of septic tanks
A plounce of divers
posted by Michael on 3-2-2010 at 11:48 pm
A lead of pencils
A corps(e) of dead bodies
posted by Amy on 3-3-2010 at 8:51 am
A snag of webs
posted by Amy on 3-3-2010 at 8:53 am
A loaf of idlers
posted by Amy on 3-3-2010 at 8:56 am
A thong of lingerie wearers
Can anyone tell that I want to win this book? ;-D
posted by Amy on 3-3-2010 at 8:59 am
An impasse of Senators
A PAC of lobbyists
A footnote of scholars
A Palin of tea baggers
posted by Denniz d'Menniz on 3-3-2010 at 9:05 am
A string of puppets
A fabrication of liars
A whisper of gossips
An obfuscation of politicians
A stroll of pedestrians
posted by RuthY on 3-3-2010 at 9:09 am
A twitter of social networkers
posted by Amy on 3-3-2010 at 9:49 am
a shuffle of shoes
a congestion of cars
a google of websites
posted by JaneM on 3-3-2010 at 10:04 am
a snatch of pickpockets
a thong of carnivale dancers
a dungheap of Jettas
a vest of e-mails
an “Are you kidding me? You seriously did that much that often to how many?” of Tigers Wood
a vidalia of crybabies
a wakka-wakka of Fozzies
an ayyy of Fonzes
a courtney of loves
a potsie of anything
a cigar of interns
a stapler of pimento cheese sandwiches
posted by Will on 3-3-2010 at 10:40 am
a pulse of zombies
a clench of proctologists
a squirm of octopi
a moxie of underdogs
a menace of supervillains
posted by Chris A on 3-3-2010 at 10:45 am
a constriction of anacondas
posted by Will on 3-3-2010 at 11:02 am
a second constriction of anacondas: hunt for the blood orchid
posted by Will on 3-3-2010 at 11:03 am
A twitter of tweets
A glob of blogs
posted by Pam on 3-3-2010 at 11:06 am
a gillooly of tire-irons
a buttafuoco of statutory midconducts
posted by Will on 3-3-2010 at 11:07 am
an infliction of American Idols
a nerve of brats
a slither of philanderers
a coil of lovers
a wretch of reality television shows
posted by Chris A on 3-3-2010 at 11:12 am
a crown of princesses
a jeopardy of trivia questions
a shard of pottery vessels
a talent of human resource managers
a conjunction of editors
a geek of gamers
posted by Lain11tx on 3-3-2010 at 11:18 am
A rot of zombies. As in, hoo, boy, that’s a rot of zombies coming this way.
posted by Mark on 3-3-2010 at 11:38 am
A smarm of used car salesmen
posted by Chris Johnson on 3-3-2010 at 11:48 am
A club of cavemen
A bubble of submarines
A dork of honor students
Captcha: lacks where
posted by Kevin on 3-3-2010 at 11:56 am
A Flagellation of Devo Fans
posted by Amy on 3-3-2010 at 12:16 pm
a commodity of Marx
posted by keepstjoeweird on 3-3-2010 at 12:19 pm
A gloss of sorostitutes
posted by Sarah on 3-3-2010 at 12:24 pm
A conundrum of buglers
A holocaust of harpsichordists
An extremity of sashimi chefs
A barrel of Scotsmen
A fist of cage fighters
A quarrel of mothers-in-law
A panic of discos
A scream of drag queens
A complication of String theorists
A creep of monks
posted by Jill on 3-3-2010 at 12:24 pm
A clutter of busters
posted by Pablo on 3-3-2010 at 12:27 pm
A dixie of Southerners.
A channel of televisions.
An octave of vocalists.
A scandal of televangelists.
A podium of Olympians.
A Copernicus of helio-centric theories.
A tinnitus of rock concerts.
A Roddenberry of space-based science fiction shows.
posted by Bert on 3-3-2010 at 12:29 pm
A prelude to a corrolary
posted by Pablo on 3-3-2010 at 12:35 pm
A babble of brooks
A seige of soliders
A keg of frat brothers
A draft of drifters
A solution of scientists
A ramble of rabbits
A rodeo of rednecks
A verse of variances
A theater of dramas
posted by T on 3-3-2010 at 12:36 pm
A CLAN of Loch Ness Monsters
A CONGRESS of Yeti, but a PARLIAMENT of Bigfoots
A MADNESS of Shoggoths
A CARNIVALE of Chupacabras
A SINCERITY of Great Pumpkins
A TRAGEDY of Ogopogos
A STORM of Giant Squid
A FORTUNE of Mothmen
A BAND of Jersey Devils.
PACK is technically incorrect. A collection of Werewolves is called A BUNCH.
posted by Joe on 3-3-2010 at 12:37 pm
a slouch of hipsters
posted by Brian Scott on 3-3-2010 at 12:39 pm
(Forgive me if these have been mentioned already, but I’m too lazy to read nearly a hundred responses!)
A group of prostitutes can be called one of two things:
1. An anthology of pros
2. A pride of loins
posted by wboenig on 3-3-2010 at 12:42 pm
A forest of Lumberjacks. :D
(that was terrible, I apologize :P )
posted by Bean on 3-3-2010 at 12:44 pm
An asylum of loons.
posted by Jamie on 3-3-2010 at 12:45 pm
A multitude of mailmen.
posted by JD on 3-3-2010 at 12:45 pm
a cluster of f*cks
-”BB”-
posted by Bicycle Bill on 3-3-2010 at 12:47 pm
Sorry, forgot to refer to rboenig and his multiples of prostitutes…..he said
1. An anthology of pros
2. A pride of loins
How about
3. a cluster of f*cks?
-”BB”-
posted by Bicycle Bill on 3-3-2010 at 12:49 pm
a clique of heels
a herd of books-on-tape
an accumulation of snowmen
a trust of suckers
a band of taboos
a cartel of ajar doors
a formation of quadrilaterals
a lot of salty wives
a pool of skeets
posted by Tom on 3-3-2010 at 12:52 pm
A crapper of shih tzu
posted by erica on 3-3-2010 at 12:57 pm
a stirring of violins
posted by Stacy Brown on 3-3-2010 at 12:58 pm
a network of IT admins
a sack of Goths
posted by robareowl on 3-3-2010 at 1:18 pm
a pinch of crabs
posted by Jon on 3-3-2010 at 1:40 pm
a dash of sprinters
posted by Jon on 3-3-2010 at 1:50 pm
An incompetence of politicians…
posted by Andrew on 3-3-2010 at 1:55 pm
a blather of talk-radio personalities…
posted by Andrew on 3-3-2010 at 1:59 pm
A slobber of St. Bernards.
posted by Mark on 3-3-2010 at 2:29 pm
A bevy of bartenders.
A gurgle of babies.
A mob of lawyers.
A flotilla of bicycle messengers.
A goof of clowns.
posted by Mark on 3-3-2010 at 2:37 pm
And for my final submission:
A buttload of ashtrays.
posted by Mark on 3-3-2010 at 2:39 pm
a din of auctioneers
a parcel of mail carriers
a vagueness of somethings
posted by Jo on 3-3-2010 at 2:57 pm
a jubilee of cherries
posted by Jon on 3-3-2010 at 5:17 pm
A slew of dragons.
A
posted by Karen on 3-3-2010 at 5:21 pm
a noose of guilty parties
a brawl of drunks
a mettle of heroes
a cringe of clowns
a harrow of survivors
posted by Chris A on 3-3-2010 at 5:59 pm
An irony of hipsters
A segfault of programmers
posted by Ben on 3-3-2010 at 6:30 pm
A joblessness of philosophy majors
A burrito of intestinal parasites
An obesity of Comic-Con attendees
A stink of hippies
A f*** **u of computational linguists
An incontinence of bladders
posted by Nosey on 3-3-2010 at 6:31 pm
A group of Mathematicians
posted by mdl0100 on 3-3-2010 at 6:31 pm
a solicitation of prostitutes
posted by Will on 3-3-2010 at 10:48 pm
A nothing of ninja
A congregation of praying mantises
A blessing of ideas
A gaggle of giggles
posted by Sam on 3-4-2010 at 3:17 am
A slosh of drunkards
A blush of virgins
A crescendo of violinists
A rubble of ancient artifacts
A yawn of corporate boardrooms
A Babel of speechwriters
An awesomeness of acrobats
A wink of fireflies
A crush of commuters
A frock of schoolgirls
A sneak of conmen
A hegemony of trucks
posted by Jeet on 3-4-2010 at 3:29 am
a fierceness of drag queens
posted by Scott on 3-4-2010 at 5:01 pm
A mass of priests
An outfit of fashion designers
posted by Curtis on 3-4-2010 at 10:58 pm
A choke of Heimlich Manuever recipients
posted by Anon Emous on 3-5-2010 at 12:49 pm
A latch of key collectors
posted by Amy on 3-5-2010 at 12:51 pm
A Cassandra of unheeded prophets
posted by Amy on 3-5-2010 at 12:51 pm
A soot of chimney sweeps
posted by Amy on 3-5-2010 at 12:52 pm
A chortle of comedians
posted by Jeff on 3-7-2010 at 10:11 pm
Is NEXT week this one coming up?
posted by Anon Emous on 3-11-2010 at 6:05 pm
A field of dreams
posted by Jake LM on 3-13-2010 at 10:14 am
A Massa of inappropriate old men.
posted by Pat on 3-13-2010 at 1:03 pm
A gaggle of Google results.
posted by noderlents on 3-13-2010 at 5:57 pm
a brace of cripples
a dram of Scotchmen
a Pandora of emotions
posted by mellieup on 3-15-2010 at 1:55 am
I hate to throw it out there, but it was told to me by a couple wonderful ladies who would fit in this group:
A flannel of lesbians.
posted by Geoff on 3-15-2010 at 4:54 pm
a fark of headlines
posted by dirk alan on 3-16-2010 at 7:02 pm
a dabble of amatures
posted by dirk alan on 3-16-2010 at 7:07 pm
a strumpet of floosies
posted by dirk alan on 3-16-2010 at 7:09 pm