Originally published at: A "skulk of foxes," a "superfluity of nuns," a "business of ferrets" and other weird collective nouns | Boing Boing
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OK, so a group of gays is called a GAGGLE of gays.
And a group of lesbians is called a CONSENSUS of lesbians.
(can’t speake to the collective nouns for bi, trans, or queers)
But a group of LGBTQs is, of course, a PRIDE.
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I’m currently human scenery in an opera, and when I looked I found no collective noun for a group of supernumeraries… I feel like there’s an opportunity here, but I’m not sure how to capitalize on it, let alone what direction to go.
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Etymologically, I feel like it should be a surplus of supernumeraries, but that doesn’t seem quite fair.
A crowd scene of supernumeraries? A background?
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The late James Lipton, the guy who hosted The Actor’s Studio, also wrote a book titled An Exaltation of Larks, which is one long collection of group names, both “real” and ones that he made up himself. (He did a whole bunch of other things too, the man lived a long and interesting life.)
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Is it a “clog” of Republicans in congress or a “blockage”?
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Surely you mean a “grist of bees”?
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Is there a collective noun for hermits?
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Surely this would be a disappointment of hermits?
Well, either that or a herman:
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A collage of background artists?
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A chorus?
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It’s perfect because there are never enough!
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Superfluity is a scathingly good collective noun for nuns, though I’d put it to the priests first unless they have a better one that refers to their more harmful proclivities.
I mean if I had any nuns at all I’d think of them as superfluous, even just one nun.
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Well, a “collage of faculty” works. As does a “dysfunction of deans” and a “slouch of chairs.”
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I spotted “A Caper Of Mutants”.
That’s the winner for me.
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