# Collective noun for black holes **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 27, 2021, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collective-noun-for-black-holes/940873 "2021-04-27T18:23:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![mandala](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mandala/32/95_2.png) [@mandala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mandala)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2021, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collective-noun-for-black-holes/940873/21 "2021-04-29T10:19:17Z")
A holeum A warp A shred ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2021, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collective-noun-for-black-holes/940873/22 "2021-04-29T11:08:13Z")
An abyss. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2021, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collective-noun-for-black-holes/940873/23 "2021-04-29T12:06:52Z")
A Maximillian of _Black Holes_ ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2021, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collective-noun-for-black-holes/940873/24 "2021-04-29T12:13:11Z")
What about Massholes? ---
**Author:** ![FrenchDunadan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frenchdunadan/32/5449_2.png) [@FrenchDunadan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FrenchDunadan)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2021, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collective-noun-for-black-holes/940873/25 "2021-04-29T14:22:20Z")
Excuse me but is there always a specific noun for a group of specific things in English? or American? In French, that’s more generic: “troupeau” for sheeps, cows,… “Banc” for fish. But “un groupe” stands for anything. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2021, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collective-noun-for-black-holes/940873/26 "2021-04-29T14:25:13Z")
If there isn’t, then we make one up. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2021, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collective-noun-for-black-holes/940873/27 "2021-04-29T16:03:11Z")
> [@FrenchDunadan](#): > > Excuse me but is there always a specific noun for a group of specific things in English? or American? > In French, that’s more generic: “troupeau” for sheeps, cows,… “Banc” for fish. But “un groupe” stands for anything. Yes and no. There are languages with many collective nouns (although, IME, even those aren’t very fussy about using the correct noun vs generic “group” or “set”). English is more like French in this regard: group and set can be used in many situations, and there are multi-use collective nouns just as you describe e.g. we have a “herd” of sheep, cows, etc a “shoal” of (whatever) fish etc. Then there are the others which were initially intended to be witty and then only caught on in terms of showing it’s a thing you know. For example, I have never once in my life heard anyone refer to a group of owls as a “parliament” (sure, maybe someone who studies and writes about owls every day, but not in normal conversation). But, OTOH, I have heard several times the trivia question of “What is a group of more than one owl called?” ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2021, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collective-noun-for-black-holes/940873/28 "2021-04-29T16:37:43Z")
Don’t take this thread too seriously. Making up these collectives is a game. Why a “murder of crows”? I like a “caucus of crows” since it is a pun and also captures the sound they make. Maybe spell it cawcus. Calcutta? Some might object to that. ---
**Author:** ![Tatterdemalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/43a26b/32.png) [@Tatterdemalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tatterdemalion)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2021, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collective-noun-for-black-holes/940873/29 "2021-04-29T16:39:28Z")
An accretion. ---
**Author:** ![SingleMalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/singlemalt/32/3961_2.png) [@SingleMalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SingleMalt)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2021, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collective-noun-for-black-holes/940873/30 "2021-04-29T17:15:45Z")
A gravity of black holes. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2021, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collective-noun-for-black-holes/940873/31 "2021-04-29T17:17:43Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > Calcutta? Some might object to that. Agreed. ---
**Author:** ![mandala](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mandala/32/95_2.png) [@mandala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mandala)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2021, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collective-noun-for-black-holes/940873/32 "2021-04-30T12:23:43Z")
Yes, what a way to make light of a horrific event. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2021, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collective-noun-for-black-holes/940873/33 "2021-04-30T13:06:24Z")
A conspiracy of black holes. ---
**Author:** ![FrenchDunadan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frenchdunadan/32/5449_2.png) [@FrenchDunadan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FrenchDunadan)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2021, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collective-noun-for-black-holes/940873/34 "2021-04-30T18:07:14Z")
oh thanks. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2021, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collective-noun-for-black-holes/940873/35 "2021-05-04T21:31:34Z")
A helicopter of black holes. A hobo (whole bowl) of black holes. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collective-noun-for-black-holes/940873.md?page=1)