A Murder of Crows

[onehitwanda]

Gaggle of geese. Or a group of loud, chatty ladies.

A gargle of hens

 

[Candy_Kane54]

I used the saying "Not my circus, not my monkeys" in my latest submission.

Many of the collective nouns such as gaggle of geese were first compiled in the Book of St. Albans (aka "The Book of Hawking, Hunting, and Blasing of Arms").

 

[Euphony]

I bet you hate ducks, dontcha?

Corkscrew dicked dicks.

 

[Bamagan]

There's an (amateur) ornithologist lurking inside me that wants to hatch and take an exposition dump all over this thread, but I will forbear.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

I think my favourite is a parliament of owls.

 

[Bamagan]

I think my favourite is a parliament of owls.

Mine is probably a conspiracy of lemurs.

 

[PrincessArianrhod]

A murmuration of starlings.

 

[dmallord]

There is a quaint term for a group or flock of crows. It's called, "A Murder of Crows." They have other names as well for the collection of the birds of doom. While the most popular term for a group of crows is a murder, but a group of crows can also be called a mob, horde, parcel, or muster. I've never used any of these in a story, but I think I might want to. Crows are also called Ravens, but they are the same birds. I had that straight from the Crows mouth. That and Nevermore were about all the old bird said.

What odd or old sayings have you used in your stories?

I used the the grouping 'a murder of crows' in my ode to Micky Spillane 2022 story. It is entitled 'CUM, DIE WITH ME!' Crows are notorious flesh eaters and used to be spotted on battlefields of ancient days feeding on human remains. That image fit so well with my theme that I included it in a grizzly scene when my character had to dispose of a few bodies out in an old cotton field; of course, it had a dead tree with a murder of crows up in the branches just waiting.

 

[MelissaBaby]

How am I not going to give myself a plug in this thread?

Wild Birds of Maine

 

[TarnishedPenny]

A murmuration of starlings.

Oh, how lovely!

 

[theWollstonecraftWoman]

Birds aren't my thing, not really. Chicken is good, but you know, I don't the difference between a chicken and Peafowl. Well one has a colorful tale and is NBC mascot and the other is the Colonel's delight. I find Sanders chicken a bit greasy. And to be honest, phesant under glass beats fried chicken very day of the week and twice on Sabbath day.

 

[yowser]

I used the saying "Not my circus, not my monkeys" in my latest submission.

Many of the collective nouns such as gaggle of geese were first compiled in the Book of St. Albans (aka "The Book of Hawking, Hunting, and Blasing of Arms").

Good antecedent. A more modern compendium (and a lovely read) on collective nouns is:

An Exaltation of Larks by James Lipton

 

[MillieDynamite]

Have met Harold Finch, Harold Wren, Harold Swan, or Harold Whistler?

There's an (amateur) ornithologist lurking inside me that wants to hatch and take an exposition dump all over this thread, but I will forbear.

How very interesting! I'll have to look it up and take a gander.

I used the the grouping 'a murder of crows' in my ode to Micky Spillane 2022 story. It is entitled 'CUM, DIE WITH ME!' Crows are notorious flesh eaters and used to be spotted on battlefields of ancient days feeding on human remains. That image fit so well with my theme that I included it in a grizzly scene when my character had to dispose of a few bodies out in an old cotton field; of course, it had a dead tree with a murder of crows up in the branches just waiting.

 

[Katie_Mae]

If I was being pretentious, I didn't realize it.

A "murder" of crows is such a commonly known name for a group of crows, I think if you didn't use it people would pick up on it and tell you you were wrong.

I don't think I've used any odd or old sayings in my writing, but sometimes I've found people don't know a very common saying due to geographic location/cultural background/ generation etc being different to mine.

Likewise, when I was younger and reading American books, I came across many terms or sayings I didn't know.
For example, I read a short story about a girl who wanted a new haircut "with bangs" and no where in the story did it explain what "bangs" were. You could think that a "bang" was some kind of term for a specialised hair cutting or styling tool that no regular person would know, and that the writer was being pretentious by using it. But really "bangs" is just the American word for a "fringe," ie, hair cut shorter around the face.

 

[colddiesel]

We have Crackels around here, a particularly nasty and aggressive black bird. They have a loud cry that sounds like a cackel (and to me they sound like old angry ladies).

Sometimes called Grackels, a group of them is a 'plague' of grackels. They are dark but on close inspection are not completely black. Their call varies a bit especially during the breeding season.

 

[MillieDynamite]

I wear bangs for an entirely different reason. Which I shouldn't go into. LOL, well, girls get fades as well as dudes, probably not in their early thirties most of the time. But I have it so let the hair fall down on my face.

A "murder" of crows is such a commonly known name for a group of crows, I think if you didn't use it people would pick up on it and tell you you were wrong.

I don't think I've used any odd or old sayings in my writing, but sometimes I've found people don't know a very common saying due to geographic location/cultural background/ generation etc being different to mine.

Likewise, when I was younger and reading American books, I came across many terms or sayings I didn't know.
For example, I read a short story about a girl who wanted a new haircut "with bangs" and no where in the story did it explain what "bangs" were. You could think that a "bang" was some kind of term for a specialised hair cutting or styling tool that no regular person would know, and that the writer was being pretentious by using it. But really "bangs" is just the American word for a "fringe," ie, hair cut shorter around the face.

 

[MillieDynamite]

OIC

Sometimes called Grackels, a group of them is a 'plague' of grackels. They are dark but on close inspection are not completely black. Their call varies a bit especially during the breeding season.

 

[MrPixel]

Then there is "a vortex of vultures".

 

[MillieDynamite]

So, everyone gets my Harold reference. Let me amplify.

All known aliases for Harold (The only real name we know for Michael Emmerson’s character in Person of Interest). Harold Finch, Harold Wren, Norman Burdett (Sounds like "bird-ett"; or possible anagram for the bird Red Butt), Mr. Partridge, Harold Crane, Harold Crow, Harold Swift, Harold Gull, Harold Quail, Harold Starling, Mr. Kingfisher, Harold Martin, Harold Whistler (while whistlers are birds primarily found in the southern hemisphere it may be a reference to bird calls. May also refer to the hunter's nickname for the Common Goldeneye, a duck found across North America. May also refer to Hugh Whistler, English ornithologist), Mr. Egret, Harold Cardinal, and Harold Osprey.

His earliest records list him as Harold Wren, which is also the name known to his best friend Nathan Ingram. Reese, Fusco, Carter, Alicia Corwin, Leon Tao, and Sameen Shaw know him as Harold Finch. Harold's fiancée Grace Hendricks knows him as Harold Martin. However, since Harold was a fugitive from the federal government for hacking the defense computers in the late 70s, he hasn’t used his real name in decades, and we never learned it during the series.

And guess what, Michael Emmerson doesn't know what the last name should've been either. In one scene, Nathan asked if he even remembered his real name any longer. He didn't answer him.

 

[EmilyMiller]

I bet you hate ducks, dontcha?

Ducks are psychopaths.

Em

 

[theWollstonecraftWoman]

Ducks are psychopaths.

Em

I love Duck in Orange sauce. Really I do.

 

[SimonDoom]

Have met Harold Finch, Harold Wren, Harold Swan, or Harold Whistler?

Jack Sparrow. Red Sparrow.

Larry Bird. Brad Bird. Mark "the Bird" Fidrych.

Sidd Finch. Atticus Finch.

 

[Euphony]

Jack Sparrow. Red Sparrow.

Larry Bird. Brad Bird. Mark "the Bird" Fidrych.

Sidd Finch. Atticus Finch.

 

[MediocreAuthor]

Ducks are psychopaths.

Em

I knew you would feel that way

 

[dmallord]

Anyone recall 'Duck, Duck, Goose?' Haven't heard that in over seventy years.