A recent post (Let's not call a spade a spade) included the expression ‘to know someone in the biblical sense’, meaning to have a sexual relationship with them. This expression is informal and is usually used humorously. In a sketch from the British TV comedy show ‘Not the nine o clock news’, 'Gerald the gorilla', there is a rather more obvious variation - ‘to live with someone in the biblical sense’, with the same meaning.
What on earth is a 'a congregation of crocodiles'. We take a look at the strange world of collective nouns.
Before you watch the video do these exercises and read the notes that follow them. There is also a printable version of the exercises available.
Click and drop - Match the beginnings and endings by clicking on a word or expression on the right (abc) etc and then on its corresponding box (123) etc. If you change your mind just repeat the process.
1. Match these word with their synonyms, definitions
| 1. | breakthrough (n) | a) | be played very loudly | |
| 2. | forefront (n) | b) | yellow flower that appears in early Spring | |
| 3. | actual (adj) | c) | (slang) a way of referring to sexually attractive women (NB can be considered offensive) | |
| 4. | ungrateful (adj) | d) | advertisement on radio or TV | |
| 5. | diction (n) | e) | real | |
| 6. | actually (adv) | f) | the way someone pronounces words, and especially how clearly they do so | |
| 7. | daffodil (n) | g) | exciting new development (especially in science and technology) | |
| 8. | blare out (phr v) | h) | not thanking someone | |
| 9. | crumpet (n - uncountable) | i) | leading or very important position | |
| 10. | commercial (n) | j) | in fact |
2. The word wild can have several meanings, look at the uses in these sentences with the meanings on the right.
| 1. | When the boss heard I’d lost the contract he went absolutely wild. | a) | not sensible, accurate or justified | |
| 2. | Remember that the tiger in the jungle is a wild animal. | b) | enthusiastic, keen | |
| 3. | That was a wild party last night. | c) | very angry, livid (very very angry) | |
| 4. | I’m just wild about Saffron, and Saffron’s wild about me (from a song by Donovan) | d) | in its natural state, not tame | |
| 5. | You’re always making wild accusations. | e) | very enjoyable, great |
3. The word mate also has several meanings
| 1. | Excuse me mate, do you know where the station is? | a) | somebody whose job is to help a skilled worker | |
| 2. | I’m just off to the pub to meet some mates, do you fancy joining us? | b) | sexual partner (especially of animals) | |
| 3. | The male bird uses its colourful tail to attract a mate. | c) | informal greeting, usually to a man (traditionally from another man, but increasingly also from women) | |
| 4. | Do you know my flatmate Sarah? | d) | friend | |
| 5. | He works as a builder’s mate. | e) | somebody you share something with |
Notes
The following two people are referred to in the sketch:
- David Attenborough - a famous and very popular naturalist and presenter of TV natural history programmes.
- Johnny Mathis - a singer of mainly romantic ballads. This type of singer is sometimes called a crooner.
In this sketch a woman interviews a professor about his work training a Gorilla called Gerald to speak.
Try watching the video once without looking at the transcript, and then a second time scrolling through the transcript.
Collective nouns
In the video the Professor refers to a flange of gorillas. Gerald corrects him saying:
It's a whoop, Professor, it's a whoop of gorillas, it's a flange of baboons.
In English we have a lot of different words for groups of animals, depending on the animal. All native speakers will know the four main ones (and so should you) plus maybe a couple of others.
Try and match the group word with the animal
| 1. | A flock of | a) | fish | |
| 2. | A school or shoal of | b) | bees | |
| 3. | A pack of | c) | cows, antelope and most other animals | |
| 4. | A herd of | d) | wolves, dogs etc | |
| 5. | a pride of | e) | sheep or birds | |
| 6. | a swarm of | f) | lions |
For some strange reason almost every animal also has its own specific group word.
Many native speakers will know, for example:
- a gaggle of geese
- a troop of baboons
Not so many will know:
- a colony of bats or frogs
- a team of dolphins
And then there are some really strange ones, for example:
- a convocation of eagles
- a coalition of cheetahs
- a congregation of crocodiles
These group words, called collective nouns, often come up in general knowledge quizzes, and especially in that very British institution - the pub quiz. Many pubs have quizzes once a week where people get together in teams and compete for small prizes, or simply just for the honour of winning.
And who was right, Gerald or the Professor? Well -
- The group word for gorilla is band or whoop - a band or whoop of gorillas
- The group word for baboon is flange or troop - a flange or troop of baboons
So first prize goes to Gerald.
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