A Parliament of Owls: A Book of Collective Nouns

Why are geese in a gaggle? Are lions actually proud? And do crows deserve their murderous moniker? Collective nouns are one of the most bizarre and baffling aspects of the English language, and this absorbing book tells the stories of these evocative phrases, exploring and explaining the etymology behind them. Each collective noun summons up the animal or event it describes. But where did they come from? 'A parliament of owls', for example, seems to have its origins in the...Read more