In a break from usual tradition of "edit as you see fit" I'm going to ask people to list new candidate nouns here. I am running an Access database which generates the table scripts automatically - it is a lot easier than scrolling through all that wiki-code.
If you modify or correct something, could you also list it here, so I can edit the database. If anyone wants the db, just email me (address is on my personal page). It's currently only 200K in size.
Please list candidates here. If you can find a dictionary reference for it, please say so. Many collective nouns are obscure and archaic - hence a citation from any (respectable) dictionary will be deemed to validate the term.
If you know the term is spurious, then say so. I have no problem listing spurious nouns, so long as they are clearly marked as such. Things like "a clutch of mechanics" have humour value, even if illegitimate. - MMGB
Nice one, Manning, I wish I'd thought of doing this! I'll put some more up for the collection, and many thanks for your help with this. sjc
- shelfful of books
- carpet of flowers
- drift of snow - isn't this singular?
- hail of bullets
- can of worms - I think this only refers to a problematic situation, and is not a collective term for worms
- coven of witches - already included
- an army of frogs - already included
- a bale of turtles - already included
This should live on
collective noun, shouldn't it? And, given that we're not going to have subpages, all the subpages could conveniently live on, e.g.,
collective nouns sorted by subject and
collective nouns for birds. --
LMS
Oh bugger. - MMGB
Sorry, really I am. :-) --LMS
This is a cool idea. Anthology of prostitutes. Heh, heh. Not
brilliant prose, but I just wanted to contratulate you, Manning. I think it's good work!
<>< tbc
Actually, I originally started this Talk page to try to get a better
definition of the subject at hand. I gave a couple of examples
that I thought might be questionable, thinking that they might
have been omitted for a definite reason. They weren't really intended
as suggested additions, but rather to try to identify the scope
of the subject. Partly this was because lots of obvious ones
were missing. For example, deck of cards is included, but not
stack of cards, or pile of cards, or hand of cards. Am I to
understand that all these should be included, but the list just
isn't yet complete? -HWR