Adventures in the English language; AkaThe YGS thread

[The_Piper]

A cuteness of squirrels
A superiority of cats
A wiseacre of parrots.
Instead of a pack of dogs, a slobbering of dogs might be more appropriate. But we love them anyway.

[Hermit]

A couple of things strike me about the queen picture above, not counting the bizarrity of carrying "royalty" in a heavy, awkward contraption that if it were to fall, would hurt and possibly kill the royal.

Litters were made for comfort. They certainly were much less bone jarring than travelling by wheeled coaches without suspensions even on the relatively level cobblestones of London's streets. I also doubt that they are more dangerous. It is less likely to harm the occupant(s) if one of the eight carriers should stumble and fall than if one of the coach wheels breaks. The coach is almost guaranteed to crash on its side. The litter is not.

Also, the litter is a public demonstration of wealth, and moreso of power. I bet the litter carriers are members of the upper aristocracy and that every on of their faces would have been recognisable by the lesser nobles, traders and others who mattered somewhat.

1. What the hell is up with the collars.
2. People back then had really skinny legs and high knees. They're buttoned up to the ears on top, but their skinny nerd thighs are exposed to the elements. I guess back then it was sexy for men to show a little leg... a skinny little leg.

It's an improvement on the the fashion of the time Liz's dad was king.



Fashion has always seemed absurd to me. It's just seems more absurd, and is easier to perceive as such, the further it lies in the past. I mean, look at the bell-bottomed pants and body shirts of the 1970s and 80s. Nobody laughed at them at the time. They were regarded as snazzy.



I wonder what people will think of the 2000 dollar business suits, and the ties that go with them, in 50, 100 or 300 years.

[Hermit]

A cuteness of squirrels
A superiority of cats
A wiseacre of parrots.
Instead of a pack of dogs, a slobbering of dogs might be more appropriate. But we love them anyway.

A flight of squirrels. Remembering them gliding from poplar to poplar along the side of our garden when I was a child.

Ah, yes, that would have been a stand of trees.

A wisdom of cats. My previous moggy used to meditate for hours, sitting upright, eyes closed, paws neatly together and tail curled around them. I used to intone: "You are beautiful, elegant and wiiiiiiise beyond measure". Here she is in one of her more playful moods.



With their status among Egyptians in Pharaonic times one could also go with a divinity of cats.

An earbleed of parrots. If you've ever been near trees while a hundred cockatoos or a thousand galahs land in them you'll know why.

A single one's screech had my ears ringing for several minutes. It was sitting on my chest at the time. I was telling my mother a joke I heard earlier that day in school. The galah felt ignored and got jealous. I had to tell the rest of the joke to the bird. Mum was allowed to listen in.

[The_Piper]

Pretty kitty.
A wisdom of cats, I like that. I suppose the word should be as few syllables as possible to ring.
I've never been near a tree full of wild parrots. I'd like to be sometime. The closest I can say is the bird room (aviary?) at a large pet store. As kids, my friends and I used to go to the pet store just to look at the cool creatures, it was our zoo. The bird room was very loud and contentious, and at that age, intimidating. If one of us stuck a finger into the cage of a large parrot, it would try to destroy it. Poor guys.
A friend had a conure who would make all sorts of racket in the background of phone calls. I found it endearing. The friend found it annoying, which only further increased my appreciation for the bird for some reason. The little guy was adorable.

[The_Piper]

I like the pockets in the flannel bell-bottoms. Utility. I already find modern suits to be something outdated. It's something I think about sometimes. I think we stopped needing ties when buttons were invented. The tie just exists to get caught in machinery or pulled on in a fight. Plus the jackets offer very little warmth.
That outfit has already been around for decades, at least. I'm not a fan.