a shimmer of herring

[Jonathan Lighter]

Not in OED nor, apparently, in any of the lists of designations of groups
of animals.

But quite authentic:

1935 _National Geographic_ LVI 238 [GB snippets]: A small "shimmer" of
herring runs over the gunwales. Ibid. 240:  In many of the nets there had
been a fairly good "*shimmer" of herring*; so we steamed into port with
nearly 40 crans of herring to be unloaded into "swills," or baskets, and
then auctioned off.

1955 _World Fishing_ IV 50 [GB snippet]: A fair shimmer of herring had
meshed, but nothing big.

1981 E. M. Thomasson _Study of the Sea_  (Farnham, Surrey: Fishing News
Books) 111: [A] shimmer of herring - every fish alive and undoubtedly newly
swum.

JL
--
"If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."

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