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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      Book details

      Publisher Michael O'Mara Books Ltd
      Published 28 September 2023
      ISBN-13 9781789295955
      978-1789295955
      ISBN-10 1789295955
      Also in:
      Dictionaries, Reference & Language 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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