Jul 17 2008
An Exaltation of Larks
James Lipton’s An Exaltation of Larks is a wonderful read.
First published in 1968, it’s the foremost collection of collective nouns, nouns of multitude, terms of venery…or venereal terms, if you will-and James Lipton does, and recognizes the humor in doing so.
Below is an excerpt out of An Exaltation of Larks in which Lipton identifies six categories or “families” of terms:
1. Onomatopoeia: a murmuration of starlings, a gaggle of geese.
2. Characteristic (by far the largest Family): a leap of leopards, a skulk of foxes.
3. Appearance: a knot of toads, a parliament of owls.
4. Habitat: a shoal of bass, a nest of rabbits.
5. Comment (pro or con depending on viewpoint): a richness of martens, a cowardice of curs.
6. Error (in transcription or printing; sometimes preserved for centuries): “school” of fish was originally intended to be “shoal.”
He’s cheeky without being snobbish and he’s eloquent without being boring.
Like Ambrose Bierce’s The Devil’s Dictionary, this is a lovely addition to anyone’s library.
An Exaltation of Larks: The Ultimate Edition, by James Lipton, published by Penguin USA, 1993. ISBN 0-140-17096-0
Buy on Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Exaltation-Larks-Ultimate-James-Lipton/dp/0140170960
