And now, the moment you've all been waiting for: The results of the "A Way with Words" Collective Noun Contest! What collective noun would you apply to groups of 1) tennis players, 2) aliens from outer space, and 3) language-loving word hosts? You sent us a cleverness of witty entries, and Martha has the winners.
I'm not sure how to categorize a volley of tennis players, but in the early 1960's, as a young sailor, I became acustomed to such terms as a ''confusion'' or Ensigns or an ''illegitimacy'' of Marines. (My son is one - so cut me some slack, ok?) There were many more, but it may take a while for me to recall others that may be used on dry land.
Ha - those are great, Tom. I hope you'll continue to chime in with more of your firsthand experience, either on our show, or our discussion forum!
I liked this one cuz i have never thought about collective nouns in english. In portuguese we have lots of them, for example one for fishes, one for boats, for cows and etc. But thinking of it in english is a totally brand new thing for me. It's really broaded my mind! LOL
Jorge, enlighten us! What's the P'gese collective for fish and cows? (And does P'gese differentiate between live fish and caught fish like Spanish?)