The First Nowell?

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Some months ago I read that Jan had bought a 'Kindle'. An electronic book.

I said "I thought a Kindle was a collective noun for a group of kittens". I looked it up and it is actually spelt 'Kendel'.

Then in the same book I noticed that a group of cats is referred to as a 'Clowder'.

Jan reckoned this sounded more like a fish soup than a load of cats!

The book I found these in, listed about thirty names for groups of animals and another thirty for collective gatherings of birds.

I won't trouble you with all sixty but here are just a few;

For horsey lovers:-

A Harras of horses

A Rag of colts

A Stud of mares

A Pace of asses

A Baren of mules

And for those who like our feathered friends:-

A Nye of pheasants

A Brood of hens

A Muster of peacocks

A Flight of doves

A Badelynge of ducks

Now yesterday, whilst out for a walk over Winter Hill I came across my Christmas dinner!

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No reference in the book to a group of turkeys.....any ideas. How about a 'Nowell of turkeys'?

No that's a bit unkind.

And to finish....here's a little dittie on plurals:-

We’ll begin with box, the plural is boxes,

But the plural of ox is oxen, not oxes!

One fowl is a goose, but two are called geese,

But the plural of moose should never be meese!

You may find a lone mouse, or a hole for mice,

The plural of house is houses, not hice!

If the plural of man is always men,

Why shouldn’t the plural of pan, be pen?

The cow in plural form is cow or kine,

But bow if repeated is never called bine.

If I speak of a foot and you show me two feet,

If I gave you a boot, would a pair be called beet?

If one is a tooth and the whole set is teeth,

Why shouldn’t the plural of booth be beeth?

If the singular is this, the plural is these;

Shouldn’t the plural of kiss be kese?

Then one may say that, and two will be those,

Your hat in the plural would never be hose;

We speak of a brother and also of brethren,

But though we say mother, we never say methren!

Then the masculine pronouns are he, his and him,

But imagine the feminine she, shis and shim!

So, English, I think you will all agree,

Is the Silliest language you ever did see.

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