Let's collect some new collective nouns

Musicat · April 13, 2007, 5:05pm

I’ve invented a few collective nouns, which I think is a distinct service to the language. (A collective noun is one that designates a group of specific things. For example, the collective noun for “sheep” is “flock,” and for “geese” – when not flying! – is “gaggle.”) I choose to refer to a gathering of psychics as a “giggle,” for conmen, it’s a “fleece,” and for prophets, a “failure.” One wag on the JREF Forum came up with “Congress” as a collective for conmen, but that was unkind. I use an “absence” for a group of homeopaths, I refer to a “confusion” of parapsychologists, and a “cackle” of witches. Palmists are gathered as a “handful,” it’s a “struggle” of astrologers, and more than three phrenologists become a “bump.” And a group of spoonbenders can be called, a “desperation.”

Any more contributions Dopers can make to this growing list?

Spoons · April 13, 2007, 5:15pm

A suit of lawyers?
A growth of farmers?
A frame of filmmakers?
A watchdog of ailurophobes?

pinkfreud · April 13, 2007, 5:16pm

A haggle of bargain-hunters.

Musicat · April 13, 2007, 5:18pm

A dabble of Dopers?

MadTheSwine · April 13, 2007, 5:27pm

A felony of footballer players.

Mindfield · April 13, 2007, 6:29pm

Nah, for us lot, I suggest one of:

A Quibble of Dopers
A Panel of Dopers
A Nitpick of Dopers
A Citation of Dopers

For others:

A Parcel of Postal Workers
A Chord of Guitarists
A Lumber of Woodworkers
A Brace of Orthodontists
A Plague of Epidemiologists
A Fifth of Bartenders
A Mickey of Alcoholics
A Field of Electricians
A Rack of Exotic Dancers
A Spit of PETA Members

Hey, this is fun.

descamisado · April 13, 2007, 10:14pm

A motherfuck of masturbaters.

Triskadecamus · April 13, 2007, 11:33pm

A case of judges.
A plot of screenwriters.
An aftermath of emergency workers.
A babble of idiots.
Two redundancies of bureaucrats.

Tris

descamisado · April 13, 2007, 11:45pm

a vein of miners
a boat of rowers

gotpasswords · April 13, 2007, 11:47pm

A queue of waiters

A flip of short-order cooks

A glass of bartenders

A fidget of children

A rinse of dentists

A clip of barbers

A jitter of baristas

A book of authors

Kairos · April 14, 2007, 12:49am

It’s not necessarily clever, but knitbloggers often refer to a group of knitters as a “whack of knitters .”

Spoons · April 14, 2007, 1:30am

A keg of frat boys
A shutter of photographers
A snap of football players
A hail of cabbies
A flight of superheroes
A bowl of pipe smokers

Fretful_Porpentine · April 14, 2007, 3:17am

A confusion of Hamlets. (I used this as the heading for a handout on the different quarto and folio texts once, and I think it is appropriate on many levels.)

GrizzRich · April 14, 2007, 3:59am

a drop of hangmen
a groom of barbers
a squint of opticians
a glimpse of opthamologists
a stem of wine enthusiasts
a stitch of tailors
a knot of sailors
a grunt of marines

and, my fave…
a click (clique) of nerds!

Monty · April 14, 2007, 4:11am

A litter of cigarette butts.

Fern_Forest · April 14, 2007, 4:29am

Ahem. It’s obvious that we are a joint of dopers.

DrDeth · April 14, 2007, 7:50am

Hardly new. It’s Victorian, AFAIK.

Musicat · April 14, 2007, 1:11pm

Randi’s contribution to this game was in the realm of the paranormal, and that was new to me.

Napier · April 15, 2007, 1:53am

A fencing of postings?
A weave of threads?
A dopest of Dopers?
A fivem of forums?

OtakuLoki · April 15, 2007, 1:59am

A vanity of officers