A Consultation of Doctors?
BY ARLENE HARDER, MA, MFT
Today's Take-a-Break
Think about a group of people who have similar characteristics and give them a name that would easily identify them. |
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Did you know that not all groups of birds are called flocks? Before I went to the San Diego Zoo this weekend, I had already known that a "covey" is the term used for groups of quails and for geese the correct term is a "gaggle," which, considering the noise they make, seems an appropriate word.
On the outside of a bird's cage I discovered some other neat terms for groups of birds. If I remember them correctly, these are:
 A parliament of owls
An ostentation of peacocks
A fall of woodcocks
A murmuring of turtle doves
A stage of hawks
An applause of starlings
The words certainly seem to describe various types of birds, and so, as I walked along the path in this beautiful park, I got to thinking. What would you call a bunch of people who are members of the same occupation. For example, would preachers be a "sermon?" Would teachers be a "lesson?" Both of my ideas for these sound kind of weak to me, but maybe you can come up with something better.
And what about people in the healing professions? Would doctors be a "consultation?" How about a "caring" or a "ministration" of nurses and a "healing" of patients (although a "hurting" might also be appropriate).
You get the idea. So do today's Take-a-Break and have fun! And let us know what you come up with.
© Copyright 1998, Revised 2002, Arlene Harder, MA, MFT |
