The English language and its idiosyncracies

[dave brum]

I've been thinking a lot about collective names for animals etc. after a recent category on Pointless covered things like a 'clowder' of cats and a 'crash' of rhinos.

I already knew about a pride of lions, a shoal of fish, a school of whales, a murder of crows, a parliament of owls, herd of cows, elephants etc...as well as a bevy of ladies!!!

Any more that anyone can think of?? (how about a farage of fools?)

[Gill the Piano]

A murder of crows...charm of finches...parliament of owls...

[dave brum]

A number of mathematicians, a bevy of drunkards (could also be a farage) and a fraid of ghosts!

[dave brum]

A few weeks ago, well just after the winter holidays we went down to Bristol using the A38 rather than the M5 and we drove through a village called Cambridge, a few miles south of Gloucester. I gather unlike its East Anglian namesake it is pronounced as it is written, rather than 'Came-bridge'. One for you, Ghislaine if you're still floating around!

Shrewsbury still intrigues me. There are no less than three ways to pronounce it, plus the town's Roman name 'Salop' and its Welsh name 'Amwythig'.

[dave brum]

Going back to the age old 'farage' debate, there is this, well I say IS as I think it is still available in the supermarket, brand of porridge oats but marketed as Scotts Porage Oats. Only this brand calls it 'porage' for some reason?

[Gill the Piano]

It was made up by Scott and combined the word 'poray' with the word 'potage' (frog). Though the variant porage dates back to 1530s.

[dave brum]

So the original word is porage then? Etymology is yet another string to your bow, Gillchops!

[Gill the Piano]

Nope, but goooooooogling is.

[dave brum]

I didn't have to look up etymology on Wiktionary! I learned it in skule!