Elsewhere, aput said, "Anywhere in mathematics, group means precisely one thing and you just can't use it in its everyday sense." And I suppressed the urge to make the smart-ass reply, "Does that mean you can't refer to a 'group of mathematicians'?"
But that leads to another thought. We speak of a flock of geese and of a herd of cattle, and we could create other collective terms, like "a group of mathematicians". Is anyone feeling creative today?
I'll start with "a serving of waiters".
January 17, 2006, 08:09
saranita
a clatter of typists
January 17, 2006, 10:56
arnie
An exposure of lap-dancers.
Build a man a fire and he's warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life.
January 17, 2006, 18:49
Caterwauller
a loitering of lollygaggers
a draft of editors
******* "Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions. ~Dalai Lama
January 17, 2006, 19:05
haberdasher
...and conversely,
a lolly of loiterers
a change of editors
January 17, 2006, 21:27
Seanahan
A clique of graph theorists?
Sometimes I think I'm too obscure.
January 18, 2006, 02:36
Caterwauller
a posse of police
a draught of brewers
a sketch of artists
******* "Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions. ~Dalai Lama
January 18, 2006, 05:42
jo
Oh, I love these...
a catalogue of librarians
a preach of ministers
a giggle of girls
a curiosity of cats
a draught of barmaids
a pentameter of poets
January 18, 2006, 09:36
shufitz
a portfolio of ministers a bliss of lovers a kettle of cooks a quietude of mimes (a box of mimes?) a convention of shriners a hush of librarians
By the way, when librarians get together for a convention, do they party wildly or does it remain a hush-hush affair?
January 18, 2006, 16:45
Caterwauller
Depends on the librarians! NOTHING is hush-hush with me around!
a lift of skiers a case of lawyers a crash of boys a party of girls a show of models an annoyance of telemarketers
******* "Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions. ~Dalai Lama
January 19, 2006, 10:03
shufitz
a chorus of frogs a crock of used-car salesmen (or "of lawyers"!) a cart of mapmakers an island of geographers an ocean of geographers (a bigger group) a litter of teenagers a flash of photographers a column of newsmen a score of sportswriters a brace of orthopedists
January 19, 2006, 10:46
jo
a needle of nurses a press of dry cleaners a press of journalists a colophon of printers a stampede of cowboys a reel of cinematographers a leer of playboys a creel of fishermen
January 19, 2006, 15:05
jerry thomas
a grope of hired hands
a parse of grammarians
a declension of classic-language scholars
a tangle of string quartets
January 19, 2006, 16:37
Caterwauller
a sheaf of printers a foil of fencers a lance of jousters a clutch of gropers a litter of veterinarians a group of fans
******* "Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions. ~Dalai Lama
January 26, 2006, 11:36
arnie
I suspect mainly the British wordcrafters will get this:
A wunch of bankers.
Build a man a fire and he's warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life.
January 26, 2006, 12:10
saranita
Arnie, this Wolonial Cordcrafter got it.
a break of goblets a study of desks a stealth of detectives a fiesta of buckeyes a rejoinder of defendants a replication of plaintiffs
January 26, 2006, 14:55
shufitz
I got it, but I suspect few of us got your "fiesta of buckeyes". Well said!
From the point of view of the University of Michigan Wolverines, who believe that they regularly have the Ohio State Buckeyes for lunch, perhaps that one should be a feast of buckeyes.
(To which arnie's methodology would apply quite neatly! )This message has been edited. Last edited by: shufitz,
January 26, 2006, 14:59
shufitz
a line of chorines a strip of ecdysiasts an acre of dentists a siesta of sombreros a prostration of urologists (or in extreme cases, a prickling)This message has been edited. Last edited by: shufitz,
January 26, 2006, 16:00
haberdasher
a plague of epidemiologists
January 26, 2006, 17:50
saranita
Shu:
(Of course, no one can fathom what goes on in the minds of those misguided Wolverines!)
January 26, 2006, 18:06
<Asa Lovejoy>
quote:
a prostration of urologists
Having today had a prostate exam, I'm thinking a finger of urologists.
A hare-um of Playboy bunnies?
A slime of slugs?
A herptangle of snakes?
January 27, 2006, 10:43
arnie
A pool of mis-spent youths?
Build a man a fire and he's warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life.
January 27, 2006, 19:02
Caterwauller
a probe of proctologists?
a lingering of sluggards
a catalog of librarians
a gossip of reporters
a plank of benches
******* "Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions. ~Dalai Lama
January 29, 2006, 21:10
Kalleh
Geez, you guys are good!
Shu, you said "a brace of orthopedists." I like a "brace of orthodontists" better.
January 29, 2006, 21:18
jo
a branch of genealogists a peek of gynecologists a puddle of toddlers a clip of Sweet Adelines a culture of ethnographers a conflagration of arsonists
February 02, 2006, 13:13
Caterwauller
a score of composers
a buzz of pilots
a gaze of opthamologists
a roll of gamers
******* "Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions. ~Dalai Lama
August 25, 2007, 19:42
KB
I'm not sure if youns share my humor, but the ones a friend & I made up amused me.
A walk or friendship of ghosts (comics refs.) A canter of ghosts, an opus of phantoms (theater refs.) A thrall of A.I. (norse poetry)
