Most collective nouns, or "terms of venery," were coined during the 15th century. Many were codified in books of courtesy, like the 1486 classic Book of St. Albans. St. Albans was a handbook for ...

In a warehouse near you, a shipment of Apple tablets arrives from China. "Get the trolleys," wails the foreman. "This rectangulation of iPad 2s won't shift itself!" The choice of collective noun might ...

Every once in a while I stumble on an interesting collective noun, usually for animals: a parliament of owls, a knot of toads, an exaltation of larks. I have heard an "awkward" suggested as an ...

A cavity of Collingwood fans, a scrape of cyclists, an inferno of tobacco shops — this is Melbourne’s hypothetical list of 100 collective nouns.