Description

Book Synopsis

Why are geese in a gaggle? Are lions actually proud? And do crows deserve their murderous moniker?

Collective nouns are one of the most bizarre and baffling aspects of the English language, and this absorbing book tells the stories of these evocative phrases, exploring and explaining the etymology behind them.

Each collective noun summons up the animal or event it describes. But where did they come from? 'A parliament of owls', for example, seems to have its origins in the 1950s children's classic The Chronicles of Narnia in which C.S. Lewis references a phrase from Chaucer, 'the parliament of fowls'. Lewis' version changed 'fowls' to 'owls' and due to the international success of his books it caught on and is now recognised as dictionary compilers as the 'correct' term for a group of owls.

Perfect for any history or language buff, this is an entertaining and fascinating look at many of the bizarre phrases which have stood the test of time.

A Parliament of Owls: A Book of Collective Nouns

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A Hardback by Chloe Rhodes

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    View other formats and editions of A Parliament of Owls: A Book of Collective Nouns by Chloe Rhodes

    Publisher: Michael O'Mara Books Ltd
    Publication Date: 28/09/2023
    ISBN13: 9781789295955, 978-1789295955
    ISBN10: 1789295955
    Also in:
    Grammar, syntax and morphology

    Description

    Book Synopsis

    Why are geese in a gaggle? Are lions actually proud? And do crows deserve their murderous moniker?

    Collective nouns are one of the most bizarre and baffling aspects of the English language, and this absorbing book tells the stories of these evocative phrases, exploring and explaining the etymology behind them.

    Each collective noun summons up the animal or event it describes. But where did they come from? 'A parliament of owls', for example, seems to have its origins in the 1950s children's classic The Chronicles of Narnia in which C.S. Lewis references a phrase from Chaucer, 'the parliament of fowls'. Lewis' version changed 'fowls' to 'owls' and due to the international success of his books it caught on and is now recognised as dictionary compilers as the 'correct' term for a group of owls.

    Perfect for any history or language buff, this is an entertaining and fascinating look at many of the bizarre phrases which have stood the test of time.

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