The wee ones (was Re: badassery)

Larry Sheldon LarrySheldon at COX.NET
Fri Mar 16 17:00:08 UTC 2012


On 3/16/2012 4:25 AM, W Brewer wrote:

> JL:<<<  A "clowder" of cats.  Or a "chowder" of clams. (Hey, why the hell
> not?). Use these and others in conversation and watch your friends
> disappear.>>
> WB: A can of sardines. A kettle of fish. A six-pack of puppies. A casserole
> of kittens.

The question was (in some mildly serious interest) not "what are
collections called, I've that beat to death several times.

My question was something like "Are there rules for referring to the
young of various animals"?  E. g. "poults" (turkeys and others including
some where "chick" is common), "kits" (foxes), "kittens" (cats),
"puppies" (dogs).

What are those rules?

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