collective nouns
DESCRIPTION
wafczdcsxTRANSCRIPT
Collective Nouns
One of the many oddities of the English language
is the multitude of different names given to
collections or groups, be they beasts, birds, people
or things. Many of these collective nouns are
beautiful and evocative, even poetic.
Birds
(alternatives in brackets)
A colony of auks (flock,
raft)
A colony of avocets
A flock of birds
(dissimulation, fleet,
flight, parcel, pod,
volary, )
A sedge of bitterns
(siege)
A chain of bobolinks
A bellowing of
bullfinches
A flock of bustards
A wake of buzzards
A tok of capercaillies
A muse of capons
A brood of chickens
(cletch, clutch, peep)
A fleet of mudhens
A watch of nightingales
(match, pray)
A pride of ostriches
(flock)
A parliament of owls
(stare)
A fling of oxbirds
A company of parrots
(flock, pandemonium,
psittacosis)
A covey of partridges
(bevy, bew, clutch,
warren)
A muster of peacocks
(ostentation, pride)
A pod of pelicans (scoop)
A colony of penguins
A dole of doves ( dule,
flight, piteousness,
pitying, prettying)
A flush of ducks
(badelynge, brace,
bunch, dopping, flock,
paddling, plump, raft,
safe, skein, sord, string,
team)
A flight of dunbirds
(rush)
A fling of dunlins
A convocation of eagles
(aerie)
A cast of falcons
A charm of finches
(chirm, trembling,
A run of poultry
A covey of ptarmigans
A bevy of quails (covey,
drift)
An unkindness of ravens
(aerie, conspiracy)
A crowd of redwings
A parliament of rooks
(building, clamour,
congregation, shoal,
wing)
A hill of ruffs
A fling of sandpipers
A cloud of seafowls
A squabble of seagulls
A dopping of sheldrakes
(doading)
trimming)
A stand of flamingos
A gaggle of geese
(flock, plump, skein,
team, wedge)
A charm of goldfinches
(chattering, drum,
troubling)
A dopping of
goosanders
A flight of goshawks
A covey of grouse
(brace, brood, flight,
pack)
A bazaar of guillemots
A colony of gulls
A mews of hawks (aerie,
A walk of snipes (wisp)
A host of sparrows
(meinie, quarrel, tribe,
ubiquity)
A murmuration of
starlings (chattering,
cloud, congregation,
clutter)
A mustering of storks
(flight, phalanx)
A flight of swallows
(gulp)
A herd of swans (bank,
bevy, drift, eyrar, game,
herd, lamentation,
sownder, squadron,
team, wedge, whiteness,
cast, kettle, mew,
moulting, screw,
stream)
A brood of hens
A sedge of herons
(flight, hedge, rookery,
siege)
A charm of
hummingbirds
(chattering, drum,
troubling)
A colony of ibises
A band of jays (party,
scold)
A desert of lapwings
(deceit)
A parcel of linnets
whiting)
A flock of swifts
A spring of teals (bunch,
coil, knob, raft)
A mutation of thrushes
A flock of turkeys (dole,
dule, raffle, raft, rafter,
posse)
A pitying of turtledoves
A colony of vultures
(committee, wake)
A plump of waterfowls
(bunch, knob, raft)
A company of widgeons
(bunch, coil, flight, knob,
trip)
A trip of wildfowls
An exaltation of larks
(ascension, bevy, flight)
A congregation of
magpies (charm, flock,
gulp, murder, tiding,
tittering, tribe, )
A sord of mallards
(flush, puddling, sute)
A plump of moorhens
(bunch, knob, lute,
plump,scry, skein, sord,
sute)
A fall of woodcocks
(covey, flight, plump)
A descent of
woodpeckers
A herd of wrens (flock)
Top
Mammals
(alternatives in brackets)
A cluster of antelopes
(herd, tribe)
A shrewdness of apes
(troop)
A pace of asses (drove,
A husk of jackrabbits
A mob of kangaroos
(troop)
A kindle of kittens (litter)
A fall of lambs
coffle, herd)
A flange of baboons
(congress, troop)
A cete of badgers
(colony)
A cloud of bats (colony)
A sloth of bears (sleuth)
A colony of beavers
(family, lodge)
A herd of bisons (gang)
A sute of bloodhounds
A herd of boars
(singular)
A sounder of (wild)
boars [12+]
A herd of bucks (leash)
A gang of buffalos
A leap of leopards (lepe)
A kindle of leverets
A pride of lions (flock,
sault, sawt, sowse,
troop)
A herd of llamas
A stud of mares
A richness of martens
(richesse)
A mischief of mice
(horde, nest, trip)
A labour of moles
(company, movement)
A band of mongooses
(pack)
A troop of monkeys
(cartload, mission, tribe,
(herd, obstinacy)
A drove of bullocks
A flock of camels
(caravan, herd, train)
A herd of caribous
A clowder of cats
(glaring, cluster,
clutter)
A destruction of (wild)
cats (dout, dowt)
A herd of cattle (drift,
drove, mob)
A herd of chamois
A coalition of cheetahs
A colony of chinchillas
A rake of colts (rack,
rag)
wilderness)
A herd of moose
A barren of mules (pack,
rake, span)
A family of otters (bevy,
raft, romp)
A team of oxen (drove,
herd, meinie, span, yoke)
A pomp of pekingese
A drove of pigs (drift,
flock, herd)
A doylt of (tame) pigs
A sounder of (wild) pigs
A farrow of piglets
(litter)
An aurora of polar bears
(pack)
A bury of conies (game)
A flink of cows [12+]
A pack of coyotes
(band, rout)
A litter of cubs
A cowardice of curs
A herd of deers (bunch,
leash, mob, parcel,
rangale)
A pack of dogs (kennel)
A pod of dolphins (flock,
school, team)
A herd of donkeys
(drove)
A herd of elands
A herd of elephants
(parade)
A chine of polecats
A string of ponies (herd)
A prickle of porcupines
A school of porpoises
(herd, pod)
A coterie of prairie dogs
(town)
A litter of pups
A colony of rabbits (bury,
drove, flick, kindle,
leash, nest, trace,
warren, wrack)
A field of racehorses
(string)
A nursery of raccoons
(gaze)
A colony of rats (horde,
A gang of elks (herd)
A business of ferrets
(cast, fesnying)
A skulk of foxes (earth,
lead, leash, troop)
A brace of geldings
A horde of gerbils
A journey of giraffes
(corps, group, herd,
tower)
A herd of gnus
(implausibility)
A trip of goats (flock,
herd, trip, tribe)
A band of gorillas
(whoop)
A leash of greyhounds
mischief, swarm)
A crash of rhinoceroses
(herd, stubbornness)
A bevy of roe deers
A colony of seals (harem,
herd, pod, rookery,
spring)
A flock of sheep (down,
drift, drove, fold, herd,
meinie, mob, parcel, trip)
A surfeit of skunks
A dray of squirrels
(colony)
A pack of stoats (trip)
A drove of swine (herd)
A doylt of (tame) swine
(drift, trip)
A group of guinea pigs
A horde of hamsters
A drove of hares (down,
flick, herd, husk, kindle,
leash, trace, trip)
A herd of harts
A herd of hartebeests
A array of hedgehogs
(prickle)
A parcel of hinds
A bloat of hippopotami
(crash, herd, pod,
school, thunder)
A drift of hogs (drove,
parcel)
A stable of horses
(drove, harras, herd,
A sounder of (wild) swine
[12+]
An ambush of tigers
(streak)
A blessing of unicorns
A colony of voles
A huddle of walruses
(herd, ugly)
A mob of wallabyies
A sneak of weasels
(gang, pack)
A grind of bottle-nosed
whales
A school of whales (float,
gam, herd, mob, pod,
run, shoal, troup)
A destruction of wildcats
remuda, string, stud,
team)
A pack of hounds (cry,
hunt, kennel, leash,
meet, mute, stable,
sute)
A clan of hyenas
A herd of ibexes
A couple of impalas
(dout)
A herd of wildebeests
A pack of wolves (herd,
rout)
A mob of wombats
A herd of yaks
A cohort of zebras (herd,
zeal)
Top
Invertebrates
(alternatives in brackets)
A culture of bacteria
A stuck of jellyfish
(fluther, smack, smuth)
A clew of worms
Top
Insects and Arachnids
(alternatives in brackets)
A colony of ants (army,
bike, swarm)
A swarm of bees
(bike, cast, cluster, drift,
erst, game, grist, hive,
rabble, stand)
A bike of (wild) bees
A flight of butterflies
(kaleidoscope, rabble,
swarm)
A bike of hornets
(nest, swarm)
A flight of insects
(horde, plague,
rabble, swarm)
A flock of lice (colony,
infestation)
A plague of locusts
(cloud, swarm)
A scourge of
An army of caterpillars
An intrusion of cockroaches
A swarm of flies (business,
cloud, grist, hatch)
A cloud of gnats (horde,
rabble, swarm)
A cloud of grasshoppers
(cluster, swarm)
mosquitoes (swarm)
A clutter of spiders
(cluster)
A colony of termites
(swarm)
A colony of wasps
(bike, nest)
Top
Molluscs
A bed of clams
A bed of
cockles
A bed of
mussels
A bed of oysters (hive)
An escargatoire of snails (rout,
walk)
Top
Fish
(alternatives in brackets)
A company of angel fish
A company of archer fish
A battery of barracudas
A shoal of barbels
A fleet of bass (shoal)
A grind of blackfish
A school of butterfly fish
A school of cod
A swarm of dragonet
fish
A troop of dogfish
A swarm of eels
A shoal of fish (catch,
draught, fray, haul, run,
school)
A glide of flying fish
A pack of perch
A shoal of pilchards
(school)
A cluster of porcupine
fish
A party of rainbow fish
A shoal of roach
A bind of
salmons(draught, leap,
run, school, shoal)
A family of sardines
A herd of seahorses
A shoal of shads
A shiver of sharks
(school, shoal)
A troupe of shrimps
A glint of goldfish
(troubling)
A glean of herrings
(army, shoal)
A shoal of mackerels
A shoal of minnows
(steam, stream, swarm)
A quantity of smelts
A shoal of sticklebacks
(spread)
A flotilla of swordfish
A hover of trouts (shoal)
A float of tunas (troup)
A pod of whitings
Top
Amphibians and Reptiles
(alternatives in brackets)
A quiver of cobras
A bask of crocodiles
(congregation, float,
nest)
A herd of dinosaurs
(pack)
A flight of dragons
A rhumba of
rattlesnakes
A den of snakes (bed,
knot, nest, pit, trogle)
A knot of toads (knob,
nest)
A bale of turtles (dule,
(weyr, wing)
An army of frogs
(colony, froggery, knot)
A mess of iguanas
turn)
A nest of vipers
(generation)
Top
People
(alternatives in brackets)
A faculty of academics
A troupe of acrobats
A cast of actors/players
(company, cry)
A bench of aldermen
A conflagration of
arsonists
A troupe of artistes
A team of athletes
A tabernacle of bakers
An eloquence of lawyers
A colony of lepers
An audience of listeners
An illusion of magicians
A bench of magistrates
A riches of matrons
A morbidity of majors
A band of men
A faith of merchants
A diligence of
A babble of barbers
A promise of barmen
A thought of barons
A squad of beaters
A bevy of beauties
(galaxy)
A bench of bishops
(psalter)
A blush of boys
A troop of boy scouts
A feast of brewers
A pack of Brownies
A shuffle of bureaucrats
A goring of butchers
A sneer of butlers
A slate of candidates
A chapter of canons
messengers
A troupe of minstrels
A side of morris dancers
A cortege of mourners
An orchestra of
musicians
A tribe of natives
A superfluity of nuns
A crowd of onlookers
A curse of painters
(illusion, misbelieving)
A malapertness of
pedlars
A crowd of people
(audience,
congregation, mob)
A troupe of performers
(dignity)
A company of capitalists
(syndicate)
A congregation of
churchgoers
A school of clerks
A cutting of cobblers
(drunkship)
A hastiness of cooks
A shrivel of critics
A cowardice of curs
A troupe of dancers
A decanter of deans
(decorum)
A caravan of desert
travelers
A board of directors
(troup)
A skirl of pipers
(poverty)
A posse of police
A converting of
preachers
A pity of prisoners
(gang)
A band of robbers
A crew of sailors
A scolding of
seamstresses
A house of senators
A subtlety of sergeants
at law
An obeisance of
servants
An obstruction of dons
A staff of employees
A panel of experts
A stalk of foresters
A talent of gamblers
A company of girl guides
A galaxy of governesses
A conjunction of
grammarians
A herd of harlots
A melody of harpists
An observance of
hermits
A gang of hoodlums
A cavalcade of horsemen
A blast of hunters
A bench of judges
A posse of sheriffs
A blackening of
shoemakers
A choir of singers
A squad of soldiers
(army, brigade,
company, division,
muster, platoon, troop)
A picket of strikers
A class of students
A simplicity of
subalterns
A disguising of tailors
A glozing of taverners
A den of thieves (gang)
A board of trustees
A flock of tourists
(sentence)
A neverthriving of
jugglers
A banner of knights
(rout)
A gang of labourers
A bevy of ladies
An unction of
undertakers
A prudence of vicars
An ambush of widows
A coven of witches
A gaggle of women
A gang of workmen
A congregation of
worshippers
A worship of writers
A fellowship of yeomen
Top
Miscellaneous
(alternatives in brackets)
A wing of aircraft (flight)
A host of angels
(chorus)
A rouleau of coins
A collective of nouns
A bank of monitors
A quiver of arrows
A bundle of asparagus
A belt of asteroids
A bunch of bananas
(hand)
A grove of bayonets
A carillon of bells
(change, peal)
A library of books
A batch of bread (caste)
A bavin of brushwood
A fleet of cars
A pack of cards (deck,
hand)
A network of computers
A dossier of documents
A clutch of eggs
A range of mountains
A troop of mushrooms
A rope of onions
A coterie of orchids
A ream of paper
A budget of papers
A string of pearls (rope)
A pod of peas
A phantasmagoria of
phantoms
An anthology of poems
A rosary of quotations
(mellificium)
A clump of reeds
A rabble of remedies
A nest of rumours
A fleet of ships (armada,
A bundle of firewood
A bed of flowers
(bouquet, bunch, patch)
A colony of fungi
A pantheon of gods
A bunch of grapes
(cluster)
A battery of guns
A budget of inventions
A chain of islands
(archipelago)
A cache of jewels
A ring of keys
A fleet of lorries
(convoy)
flotilla)
A pair of shoes
A shrubbery of shrubs
A flight of stairs
A galaxy of stars
(constellation)
An anthology of stories
An arcana of tarot cards
An agenda of tasks
A stand of trees (clump,
forest, grove)
Top
Some That Might Be
A balance of
accountants
A bevy of alcoholics
A corps of anatomists
A conflagration of
arsonists
An audit of bookkeepers
A rascal of boys
A clutch of breasts
A clutch of car
mechanics
A load of cobblers
An unease of
compromises
A galaxy of cosmologists
An intrigue of council
members
A shower of
meteorologists
An expectation of
midwives
A horde of misers
An annoyance of
neighbours
A row of oarsmen
A body of pathologists
A virtue of patients
A ponder of
philosophers
A clique of
photographers
A nucleus of physicists
A breakdown of plans
A flush of plumbers
A box of cricketers
An incredulity of
cuckolds
A brace of dentists
A bodge of DIYers
A grid of electricians
An exaggeration of
fishermen
A revelation of flashers
A fraid of ghosts
A giggle of girls
An expectation of heirs
A vagary of impediments
A diffidence of introverts
A wealth of information
A scoop of journalists
A flush of lavatories
A complex of
psychologists
A following of stalkers
A portfolio of
stockbrokers
A fanfare of strumpets
A pack of suitcases
A flight of yesterdays
A jam of tarts
A hug of teddy bears
A ring of telephones
A bunch of things
A promise of tomorrows
A twinkling of todays
A cancellation of trains
An anorak of
trainspotters
A stack of librarians
A babble of linguists
A number of
mathematicians
A compromise of
mediators
An amalgamation of
metallurgists
A linkage of webmasters
A break of winds
An impatience of wives
A yearning of yesterdays
An optimism of youths