COLLECTIVE TERM | COLLECTIVE PHRASE | |
aarmory | An aarmory of aardvarks | Spurious |
abomination | An abomination of monks (see note) | Spurious |
agenda | An agenda of tasks? | |
ambush | An ambush of widows? | Spurious |
ambush | An ambush of tigers | |
anthology | An anthology of prostitutes (see note) | Spurious |
anthology | An anthology of prose? | |
archipelago | An archipelago of islands | |
armada | An armada of ships | |
army | An army of ants | |
army | An army of caterpillars? | |
army | An army of frogs? | |
ascension | An ascension of larks? | |
asylum | An asylum of programmers | Spurious |
audit | An audit of bookkeepers? | |
aurora | An aurora of polar bears | |
babble | A babble of barbers? | Spurious |
balance | A balance of accountants? | Uncertain |
bale | A bale of turtles? | |
band | A band of jays? | |
band | A band of men | |
band | A band of gorillas | |
bank | A bank of monitors | |
bank | A bank of swans? | |
banner | A banner of knights | |
barren | A barren of mules? | |
bask | A bask of crocodiles? | |
batch | A batch of bread? | |
bavin | A bavin of [brush (wood)]? | |
bazaar | A bazaar of guillemots? | |
bed | A bed of snakes? | |
bed | A bed of clams? | |
bed | A bed of oysters? | |
bellowing | A bellowing of bullfinches? | |
belt | A belt of asteroids | |
bench | A bench of show dogs | Uncertain |
bevy | A bevy of roes? | |
bevy | A bevy of beauties | |
bevy | A bevy of quail | |
bevy | A bevy of swans? | |
bevy | A bevy of ladies? | |
bew | A bew of partridges? | Uncertain |
bind | A bind of salmon? | |
bite | A bite of midges? | Uncertain |
blast | A blast of strumpets? | Spurious |
blessing | A blessing of unicorns? | |
bloat | A bloat of bureaucrats? | Spurious |
bloat | A bloat of hippopotami? | Uncertain |
body | A body of pathologists? | Spurious |
bond | A bond of [secret agents]? | Spurious |
book | A book of wagers? | |
bouquet | A bouquet of pheasants? | |
bouquet | A bouquet of flowers? | |
brace | A brace of orthodontists? | Spurious |
brigade | A brigade of soldiers? | |
brood | A brood of hens? | |
building | A building of rooks? | |
bunch | A bunch of things? | |
bunch | A bunch of grapes | |
bury | A bury of rabbits? | |
bury | A bury of conies? | |
business | A business of flies? | |
business | A business of ferrets? | |
cache | A cache of jewels? | |
cast | A cast of actors | |
cast | A cast of falcons? | |
cast | A cast of hawks? | |
catalogue | A catalogue of librarians | Spurious |
cavalcade | A cavalcade of horsemen | |
cete | A cete of badgers? | |
chain | A chain of islands | |
charm | A charm of hummingbirds? | |
charm | A charm of finches? | |
chattering | A chattering of choughs? | |
chine | A chine of polecats? | |
chorus | A chorus of angels | |
clamour | A clamour of rooks? | |
clan | A clan of hyenas | |
class | A class of students? | |
clattering | A clattering of choughs? | |
clew | A clew of worms | Uncertain |
cloud | A cloud of grasshoppers? | |
cloud | A cloud of gnats? | |
cloud | A cloud of [sea fowl]? | |
clout | A clout of gnats? | Uncertain |
clowder | A clowder of cats | |
cluster | A cluster of spiders? | |
cluster | A cluster of cats | |
cluster | A cluster of grasshoppers? | |
clutch | A clutch of mechanics? | Spurious |
clutch | A clutch of eggs? | |
clutch | A clutch of chicks? | |
clutter | A clutter of cats | |
clutter | A clutter of spiders? | |
coil | A coil of widgeon? | |
collective | A collective of nouns? | |
colony | A colony of ants | |
colony | A colony of bats | |
colony | A colony of beavers | |
colony | A colony of gulls? | |
colony | A colony of penguins | |
colony | A colony of rats? | |
colony | A colony of lepers? | |
colony | A colony of rabbits? | |
company | A company of actors | |
company | A company of moles | |
company | A company of parrots? | |
company | A company of soldiers? | |
complex | A complex of psychoanalysts | Spurious |
conflagration | A conflagration of arsonists? | |
conglomerate | A conglomerate of geologists | Spurious |
congregation | A congregation of worshipers? | |
congregation | A congregation of plovers? | |
congress | A congress of baboons? | |
conspiracy | A conspiracy of ravens | |
constellation | A constellation of satellites | |
converting | A converting of preachers? | |
convocation | A convocation of eagles? | |
convoy | A convoy of lorries? | |
convoy | A convoy of trucks? | |
corps | A corps of giraffe | |
corps | A corps of anatomists | Spurious |
cortege | A cortege of mourners | |
court | A court of kangaroos (see note) | Spurious |
coven | A coven of witches | |
cover | A cover of coots? | |
covey | A covey of partridges? | |
covey | A covey of pheasants? | |
covey | A covey of quail | |
covey | A covey of grouse? | |
cowardice | A cowardice of curs? | |
crash | A crash of rhinoceroses? | |
crash | A crash of hippopotami? | |
creche | A creche of penguins | |
crew | A crew of sailors | |
crowd | A crowd of onlookers? | |
cruft | A cruft of hackers | Spurious |
cry | A cry of hounds? | |
cry | A cry of hounds | |
culture | A culture of bacteria | |
deceit | A deceit of lapwings? | |
deck | A deck of cards? | |
den | A den of thieves? | |
den | A den of snakes? | |
descent | A descent of woodpeckers? | |
descent | A descent of relatives? | Spurious |
desert | A desert of lapwings? | |
destruction | A destruction of cats (feral or wild) | |
dilation | A dilation of pupils | Spurious |
disguising | A disguising of tailors? | |
dissimulation | A dissimulation of birds | |
disworship | A disworship of scots? | |
diving | A diving of teal? | |
division | A division of soldiers? | |
doading | A doading of sheldrakes? | |
doctrine | A doctrine of doctors | |
dole | A dole of doves? | |
donut | A donut of data | Spurious |
dopping | A dopping of [ducks (diving)]? | |
down | A down of hares? | |
draught | A draught of fish | |
dray | A dray of squirrels | |
drift | A drift of swine? | |
drift | A drift of hogs? | Uncertain |
drift | A drift of fish | |
drove | A drove of pigs? | |
drove | A drove of cattle | |
drum | A drum of goldfinches? | |
drunken ship | A drunken ship of cobblers | |
dule | A dule of turtles? | |
dule | A dule of doves? | |
embarassment | A embarassment of riches | |
exaggeration | An exaggeration of fishermen? | Spurious |
exaltation | An exaltation of larks? | |
eyrar | An eyrar of swans? | Uncertain |
faculty | A faculty of academics? | |
fall | A fall of lambs? | |
farrow | A farrow of piglets? | |
fellowship | A fellowship of yeomen? | |
fesnying | A fesnying of ferrets? | |
field | A field of theoretical physicists | Spurious |
field | A field of racehorses | |
flange | A flange of baboons? | |
fleet | A fleet of mudhen? | Uncertain |
fleet | A fleet of ships | |
flight | A flight of swallows? | |
flight | A flight of goshawks? | |
flight | A flight of doves? | |
flight | A flight of cormorants? | |
fling | A fling of sandpipers? | |
fling | A fling of dunlin? | |
flink | A flink of cows | |
flock | A flock of sheep? | |
flock | A flock of tourists | |
flock | A flock of geese? | |
flock | A flock of camels | |
flock | A flock of seagulls? | |
flotilla | A flotilla of ships | |
flush | A flush of plumbers? | Spurious |
flush | A flush of ducks? | |
fluther | A fluther of jellyfish? | |
flutter | A flutter of cardiologists | Spurious |
fry | A fry of eels? | Uncertain |
gaggle | A gaggle of women | |
gaggle | A gaggle of geese? | |
galaxy | A galaxy of starlets | |
galaxy | A galaxy of stars | |
gam | A gam of whales | |
gang | A gang of elk? | |
gang | A gang of hoodlums? | |
gaze | A gaze of raccoons? | |
geek | A geek of engineers? | Spurious |
giggle | A giggle of girls? | |
glaring | A glaring of cats | |
glean | A glean of herrings? | |
graft | A graft of [tree surgeons]? | Spurious |
grind | A grind of blackfish? | Uncertain |
grist | A grist of bees | |
grove | A grove of trees | |
gulp | A gulp of swallows? | Spurious |
hangout | A hangout of nudists | Spurious |
harass | A harass of horses | |
head | A head of curlews? | |
heap | A heap of trash? | |
heard | A heard of harlots | |
herd | A herd of fairies? | |
herd | A herd of cattle | |
herd | A herd of elephants | |
herd | A herd of zebra | |
herd | A herd of cows | |
herd | A herd of chamois? | |
herd | A herd of walruses | |
herd | A herd of pigs? | |
herd | A herd of deer? | |
herd | A herd of antelope? | |
herd | A herd of whales | |
herd | A herd of buffalo | |
hill | A hill of beans | |
hill | A hill of ruffs? | |
hive | A hive of bees | |
horde | A horde of misers? | Spurious |
horde | A horde of gnats? | |
host | A host of sparrows? | |
host | A host of angels | |
house | A house of senators? | |
hover | A hover of trout? | |
hover | A hover of crows? | |
huddle | A huddle of lawyers | |
huddle | A huddle of penguins | |
husk | A husk of hares? | |
illusion | An illusion of painters | |
indifference | An indifference of waiters? | Spurious |
intrusion | An intrusion of cockroaches? | Uncertain |
kaleidoscope | A kaleidoscope of butterflies? | Uncertain |
kettle | A kettle of hawks? | |
kindle | A kindle of kittens (cats) | |
kine | A kine of cattle | |
kit | A kit of pigeons? | Uncertain |
knob | A knob of waterfowl? | Uncertain |
knot | A knot of toads? | |
labour | A labour of moles | |
lap | A lap of cod? | Uncertain |
leap | A leap of hares? | |
leap | A leap of leopards? | |
leash | A leash of deer? | |
leash | A leash of foxes | |
lek | A lek of grouse? | Uncertain |
library | A library of books | |
litter | A litter of piglets? | |
litter | A litter of puppies | |
lodge | A lodge of beavers | |
loft | A loft of pigeons? | |
lot | A lot of automobile dealers | Spurious |
lounge | A lounge of lizards | Spurious |
lute | A lute of mallards? | Uncertain |
melody | A melody of harpers? | |
mews | A mews of capons? | |
mine | A mine of toddlers? | Spurious |
mischief | A mischief of mice | |
mission | A mission of monkeys? | |
mite | A mite of mites? | Uncertain |
mob | A mob of kangaroos | |
movement | A movement of moles | |
multiply | A multiply of husbands? | |
murder | A murder of crows? | |
murmuration | A murmuration of starlings? | |
muster | A muster of storks? | |
muster | A muster of peacocks? | |
mutation | A mutation of thrushes? | |
mute | A mute of hounds? | |
nest | A nest of mice | |
nest | A nest of rabbits? | |
nest | A nest of vipers? | |
nest | A nest of snakes? | |
network | A network of computers | |
neverthriving | A neverthriving of jugglers? | |
newton | A newton of figs? | Spurious |
nide | A nide of geese? | |
nucleus | A nucleus of physicists | Spurious |
number | A number of mathematicians | |
nye | A nye of pheasants? | |
obesiance | An obesiance of servants? | |
obstinacy | An obstinacy of buffalo | |
ostentation | An ostentation of peacocks? | |
pace | A pace of asses? | |
pack | A pack of hounds? | |
pack | A pack of rats? | |
pack | A pack of wolves | |
pack | A pack of grouse? | |
paddling | A paddling of [ducks (on water)]? | |
pan | A pan of critics? | Spurious |
pandemonium | A pandemonium of parrots? | Uncertain |
pandemonium | A pandemonium of pandas | Spurious |
panel | A panel of experts | |
parade | A parade of elephants | |
parcel | A parcel of hogs? | |
parcel | A parcel of deer? | |
parcel | A parcel of penguins | Uncertain |
parel | A parel of troops? | |
parliament | A parliament of owls? | |
party | A party of jays? | |
passel | A passel of hogs? | |
passel | A passel of possum? | Uncertain |
patch | A patch of flowers? | |
peep | A peep of chickens? | |
phalanx | A phalanx of storks? | Uncertain |
pit | A pit of snakes? | |
piteousness | A piteousness of doves? | |
pitying | A pitying of turtledoves? | |
pitying | A pitying of doves? | |
plague | A plague of locusts? | |
platoon | A platoon of soldiers? | |
plum | A plum of seals | Uncertain |
plump | A plump of waterfowl? | |
plump | A plump of [ducks (flying)]? | |
pod | A pod of whales | |
pod | A pod of seals | |
pod | A pod of dolphins? | |
pomp | A pomp of pekinese? | |
ponder | A ponder of philosophers | |
pontifica | A pontifica of prelates? | |
portfolio | A portfolio of stockbrokers? | Spurious |
pounce | A pounce of cats | |
poverty | A poverty of pipers? | |
prettying | A prettying of doves? | |
prickle | A prickle of hedgehogs? | |
pride | A pride of peacocks? | |
pride | A pride of lions? | |
prudence | A prudence of [vicaries (vicars)]? | |
purse | A purse of winnings | |
quarrel | A quarrel of sparrows? | |
quiver | A quiver of rebuttals | |
quiver | A quiver of arrows? | |
rabble | A rabble of butterflies? | Uncertain |
rabble | A rabble of rats? | |
raffle | A raffle of turkeys | |
raft | A raft of coots? | |
raft | A raft of auks? | Uncertain |
raft | A raft of ducks? | |
rafter | A rafter of turkeys | |
rag | A rag of colts | |
rainbow | A rainbow of butterflies? | |
rake | A rake of colts | |
Rake | A Rake of mules? | |
range | A range of mountains? | |
rascal | A rascal of boys? | |
riches | A riches of matrons? | |
richness | A richness of martens? | |
ring | A ring of keys? | |
roll | A roll of coins? | |
rookery | A rookery of penguins | Spurious |
rouleau | A rouleau of coins? | |
rout | A rout of wolves | |
rout | A rout of snails? | |
rout | A rout of wolves | |
rout | A rout of knights | |
run | A run of salmon? | |
run | A run of poultry? | |
sault | A sault of lions? | |
scale | A scale of fish | |
school | A school of whales | |
school | A school of fish | |
scold | A scold of jays? | Uncertain |
scourge | A scourge of mosquitoes? | |
screech | A screech of gulls? | |
scull | A scull of friars? | |
sedge | A sedge of bitterns? | |
sedge | A sedge of cranes? | |
set | A set of mathematicians | |
shoal | A shoal of fish | |
shower | A shower of meteorologists | Spurious |
shrewdness | A shrewdness of apes | |
shuffle | A shuffle of bureaucrats? | |
siege | A siege of bitterns? | |
siege | A siege of herons? | |
singular | A singular of boars? | |
skein | A skein of geese? | |
skulk | A skulk of foxes | |
slew | A slew of homework? | |
slither | A slither of snakes? | |
sloth | A sloth of bears | |
smack | A smack of jellyfish? | |
sneak | A sneak of weasels? | |
sord | A sord of mallards? | |
sounder | A sounder of pigs? | |
sounder | A sounder of swine? | |
sounder | A sounder of boars? | |
sowse | A sowse of lions? | |
span | A span of oxen? | |
spring | A spring of seals | |
spring | A spring of teal? | |
squad | A squad of soldiers? | |
stable | A stable of horses | |
staff | A staff of employees? | |
stand | A stand of flamingoes? | |
stand | A stand of trees | |
stare | A stare of owls? | |
state | A state of princes? | |
storytelling | A storytelling of crows? | |
streak | A streak of tigers | |
string | A string of ponies | |
stud | A stud of mares | |
superfluity | A superfluity of nuns? | |
swarm | A swarm of ants | |
swarm | A swarm of bees | |
swarm | A swarm of flies? | |
swarm | A swarm of rats? | |
swarm | A swarm of eels? | |
team | A team of horses | |
team | A team of athletes? | |
team | A team of oxen? | |
team | A team of ducks? | |
thicket | A thicket of trees | |
thicket | A thicket of idiots | Spurious |
thought | A thought of barons? | |
threatening | A threatening of courtiers? | |
tiding(s) | A tiding(s) of magpies? | |
tower | A tower of giraffes | Uncertain |
trace | A trace of hares? | |
trembing | A trembing of finches? | |
tribe | A tribe of monkeys? | |
tribe | A tribe of goats? | |
tribe | A tribe of natives? | |
trimming | A trimming of finches? | |
trip | A trip of sheep? | |
trip | A trip of dotterel? | |
trip | A trip of hares? | |
trip | A trip of goats? | |
troop | A troop of kangaroos | |
troubling | A troubling of goldfinches? | |
troupe | A troupe of performers? | |
tumult | A tumult of tubas (players) | Spurious |
turmoil | A turmoil of porpoises? | Uncertain |
turn | A turn of turtles? | |
ubiquity | A ubiquity of sparrows? | |
ugly | An ugly of [Gavin Atilano]? | |
unkindness | An unkindness of ravens | |
vagary | A vagary of impediments? | |
volery | A volery of birds | |
wad | A wad of money | |
wake | A wake of buzzards | |
walk | A walk of snipe? | |
watch | A watch of nightingales? | |
wealth | A wealth of information | |
wedge | A wedge of [geese (flying)]? | |
wedge | A wedge of [swans (flying)]? | |
whiteness | A whiteness of swans? | |
wing | A wing of aircraft | |
wisdom | A wisdom of grandparents? | |
wisp | A wisp of snipe? | |
woop | A woop of gorillas | |
wrack | A wrack of [kittens (rabbits)]? | |
yoke | A yoke of oxen? | |
zeal | A zeal of zebra | |
Notes:
The phrase "An abomination of monks" is frequently cited as a legitimate collective noun for monks. It is actually a misinterpretation of the title of a protestant treatise written by Jan Hus around 1400.
An "anthology of prostitutes" is a pun on "anthology of prose", as "pro" is a common contraction for prostitute in Britain and elsewhere.
The phrase "A court of kangaroos" is frequently thought to be legitimate, given the (quite unrelated) expression "a kangaroo court". There is no known evidence of its legitimacy as a collective noun, however.