An Exaltation of Larks

James Lipton

6/23/1999

A gaggle of geese. A school of fish. But how about a cast of hawks? Or a stud of mares? Intead of animals, how about an impudence of peddlers? Or a melody of harpists? In football, a huddle of players or a cuss of coaches. How about a patch of quilters or a catchword of crossword puzzlers?

This is a fun word book. Lipton has researched terms of venery back to the fifteenth century and before. The game of venery is to notice a group of something and give it a double meaning description. For example, a few men notice a group of prostitutes. One mutters, "A jam of tarts" while another says, "No, a flourish of strumpets" and a third says "A peal of Jezebels." They are playing the game of venery.

This is something anyone can do. If you enjoy playing word games, you can join into venery yourself. If you don't feel creative, look into this book. Lipton has collected these sayings from hundreds of years, including adding new ones that are applicable (like the one that tickled me...a quicksand of credit cards). This book has been updated as well.

If you don't play the game of venery but do enjoy our language and the way it is dynamic and flowing, you'll find this book fascinating. There are more group descriptions than I would ever have thought of. My favorite? Well, the one I will definitely remember is a clowder of cats. That fits our home very well!

You can find this book at .