# Let's collect some new collective nouns **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 13, 2007, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-collect-some-new-collective-nouns/399979 "2007-04-13T17:05:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2007, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-collect-some-new-collective-nouns/399979/1 "2007-04-13T17:05:51Z")
[James Randi has suggested a new game.](http://randi.org/jr/2007-04/041307mag.html) > [@](#): > > 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? ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2007, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-collect-some-new-collective-nouns/399979/2 "2007-04-13T17:15:13Z")
A suit of lawyers? A growth of farmers? A frame of filmmakers? A watchdog of ailurophobes? ---
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2007, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-collect-some-new-collective-nouns/399979/3 "2007-04-13T17:16:48Z")
A haggle of bargain-hunters. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2007, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-collect-some-new-collective-nouns/399979/4 "2007-04-13T17:18:21Z")
A dabble of Dopers? ---
**Author:** ![MadTheSwine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MadTheSwine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadTheSwine)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2007, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-collect-some-new-collective-nouns/399979/5 "2007-04-13T17:27:41Z")
A felony of footballer players. ---
**Author:** ![Mindfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindfield/32/19759_2.png) [@Mindfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mindfield)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2007, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-collect-some-new-collective-nouns/399979/6 "2007-04-13T18:29:30Z")
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. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![descamisado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2007, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-collect-some-new-collective-nouns/399979/7 "2007-04-13T22:14:19Z")
A motherfuck of masturbaters. ---
**Author:** ![Triskadecamus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@Triskadecamus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Triskadecamus)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2007, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-collect-some-new-collective-nouns/399979/8 "2007-04-13T23:33:42Z")
A case of judges. A plot of screenwriters. An aftermath of emergency workers. A babble of idiots. Two redundancies of bureaucrats. Tris ---
**Author:** ![descamisado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2007, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-collect-some-new-collective-nouns/399979/9 "2007-04-13T23:45:04Z")
a vein of miners a boat of rowers ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2007, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-collect-some-new-collective-nouns/399979/10 "2007-04-13T23:47:03Z")
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 ---
**Author:** ![Kairos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecc23a/32.png) [@Kairos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kairos)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2007, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-collect-some-new-collective-nouns/399979/11 "2007-04-14T00:49:18Z")
It’s not necessarily clever, but knitbloggers often refer to a group of knitters as a “[whack](http://www.yarnharlot.ca/blog/archives/2005/05/11/a_little_help_from_my_friends.html)[of](http://www.yarnagogo.com/blog/2007/03/yay.html)[knitters](http://knitterpated.blogspot.com/2006/04/whack-of-knitters.html) .” ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2007, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-collect-some-new-collective-nouns/399979/12 "2007-04-14T01:30:52Z")
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 ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2007, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-collect-some-new-collective-nouns/399979/13 "2007-04-14T03:17:28Z")
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.) ---
**Author:** ![GrizzRich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7ba0ec/32.png) [@GrizzRich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrizzRich)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2007, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-collect-some-new-collective-nouns/399979/14 "2007-04-14T03:59:29Z")
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! ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2007, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-collect-some-new-collective-nouns/399979/15 "2007-04-14T04:11:05Z")
A litter of cigarette butts. ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2007, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-collect-some-new-collective-nouns/399979/16 "2007-04-14T04:29:10Z")
Ahem. It’s obvious that we are a _joint_ of dopers. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2007, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-collect-some-new-collective-nouns/399979/17 "2007-04-14T07:50:22Z")
[QUOTE=Musicat] [James Randi has suggested a new game.](http://randi.org/jr/2007-04/041307mag.html)Any more contributions Dopers can make to this growing list? [/QUOTE] Hardly new. It’s Victorian, AFAIK. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2007, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-collect-some-new-collective-nouns/399979/18 "2007-04-14T13:11:19Z")
[QUOTE=DrDeth] Hardly new. It’s Victorian, AFAIK. [/QUOTE] Randi’s contribution to this game was in the realm of the paranormal, and that was new to me. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2007, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-collect-some-new-collective-nouns/399979/19 "2007-04-15T01:53:49Z")
A fencing of postings? A weave of threads? A dopest of Dopers? A fivem of forums? ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2007, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-collect-some-new-collective-nouns/399979/20 "2007-04-15T01:59:48Z")
A vanity of officers [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-collect-some-new-collective-nouns/399979.md?page=2)