A new collective noun: "astonishment"

[Laurence Horn]

At 9:19 AM -0500 12/19/09, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
>Evidently a "bale of turtles" originally referred not to the shelled but to
>the feathered variety.
>
>The earlier term was "dule," and "bale," I suggest, may have come from a
>misreading or misrecollection of this.  Unlikely, perhaps, but stranger
>things have happened at sea.
>
>More recent "terms of art," used by no one but list makers and word-lovers
>(if they)  include "an audit of bookeepers,"   "a balance of accountants,"
>"a geek of engineers,"  "a woop of gorillas."  Feel free to use them,
>however.

An isogloss of dialectologists?
A lemma of lexicographers?  [I like that one]
A tree of syntacticians?

LH

>
>Most such terms are jokes rather than fully functioning elements of English.
>
>Also, some of the words on such lists, while real, are not catually simple
>collectives as claimed, like "group" or "bunch," but a group in
>some particular set of circumstances. E.g., "a bed of clams," "a field of
>racehorses,"  "a ring of keys."  My guess is that "an exaltation of larks"
>meant not just "a flock"  ("Ooooh! Would you look at that exaltation of
>larks!")  but the sound of many chirping at once ("I heard an exaltation of
>larks this a.m.").
>
>FWIW.
>
>JL
>
>
>
>On Fri, Dec 18, 2009 at 11:17 PM, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:
>
>>  ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>  -----------------------
>>  Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>  Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
>>  Subject:      Re: A new collective noun: "astonishment"
>>
>>
>>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>>  I don't see the point of beating me over the head with *other*
>>  collective nouns, real or pseudo-, such as "pride of lions", "murder
>>  of crows", etc.  My astonishment was seeing one that was new to
>>  me.  But thanks to Jon, I am now educated that it is not completely
>>  original to Dargis.  Although I bet it has not been applied to
>>  Pandorans before.
>>
>>  Joel
>>
>>  At 12/18/2009 07:42 PM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
>>  >Google immediately shows "an astonishment of valentines" and "an
>>  >astonishment of poets."
>>  >
>>  >GB has "She scorched him, too, with an astonishment of fires" from 1990.
>>  >
>>  >I'm pretty sure I read it before then, but solely as a literary metaphor.
>>  >
>>  >(Cf., of course, "an astonishment of riches").
>>  >
>>  >JL
>>  >
>>  >
>>  >On Fri, Dec 18, 2009 at 5:00 PM, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:
>>  >
>>  > > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>  > > -----------------------
>>  > > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>  > > Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
>>  > > Subject:      A new collective noun: "astonishment"
>>  > >
>>  > >
>>  >
>>
>>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>  > >
>>  > >  From the New York Times review of James Cameron's "Avatar", Dec. 18,
>>  > > by Manola Dargis:
>>  > >
>>  > > "The exotic creatures in 'Avatar,' which include an astonishment of
>>  > > undulating, flying, twitching and galloping organisms,** don't just
>>  > > crawl through the underbrush; they thunder and shriek, yip and hiss,
>>  > > pointy teeth gleaming.
>>  > >
>>  > > An astonishment of Pandorans.*
>>  > >     An "astonishment" can include more than just Na'vi, since
>>  > > Dargis's next sentence is "The most important of these are the Na'vi
>>  > > ...".***
>>  > >
>>  > > * There seems to be a battle between "Pandorans" and "Pandorians", at
>>  > > present about 3:1 for "Pandorans".  I can't get far enough into the
>>  > > "Official Web Site" (avatarmovie.com) to pass the movie bits and
>>  > > reach text to confirm official usage.
>>  > >
>>  > > ** I'm somehow reminded of the recent NYTimes review of Humperdinck's
>>  > > "Hansel and Gretel" at the Met -- describing it as a opera for
>>  > > children about "hunger, kidnapping, cannibalism and witch burning."
>>  > >
>>  > > *** I note the classical plural, gender-free (a la "alumni" in
>  > > > popular usage).  But the singular seems to be Na'vi also, at least in
>>  > > Dargis's review (Jake operates a "10-foot, blue-skinned Na'vi body.")
>>  > >
>>  > >      But how does Dargis get away without musing on the analogy with
>>  > > Pandora's box?  Or would that be a spoiler?  I haven't seen the film,
>>  > > of course; but Dargis writes "Although 'Avatar' delivers a late kick
>>  > > to the gut that might be seen as nihilistic (and how!), it is
>>  > > strangely utopian."  Pandora's box is (its mines are?) opened, and
>>  > > evils are let out into its world?
>>  > >
>>  > > Joel
>>  > >
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>>  >
>>  >
>>  >
>>  >--
>>  >"If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the
>>  truth."
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>
>
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