a murder of crows
noun phrase

- the collective noun for a group of crows

Wikipedia

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WORD ORIGIN

The word "crow" is the general common name for birds of the genus Corvus (the larger sort being sometimes called ravens). The Old English crawe is held to be imitative of the bird’s cry. Compare Old Saxon kraia, Dutch kraai, Old High German chraja.

A group of crows is called a “murder” … there are several different explanations for the origin of this term, mostly based on old folk tales and superstitions.

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CROW IDIOMS

as the crow flies = in a straight line, by the shortest route

crow about (something) = to brag or boast about something

crow’s feet = wrinkles at the corner of the eyes, likened to the long forked toes on a crow’s foot

crow’s nest = a platform at or near the top of a mast of a ship used as a lookout

eat crow = to admit that one is wrong, usually when doing so triggers great embarrassment or shame

stone the crows! = an expression of shock or surprise at or about something (primarily heard in UK)

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ANIMAL GROUPS

Can you match the 10 adjectives below to their respective animals? bees, blackbirds, camels, dogs, elephants, goldfinches, kangaroos, lions, monkeys, rabbits

- a caravan of

- a charm of

- a cloud of

- a colony of

- a mob of

- a pack of

- a parade of

- a pride of

- a swarm of

- a troop of

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- a caravan of camels

- a charm of goldfinches

- a cloud of blackbirds

- a colony of rabbits

- a mob of kangaroos

- a pack of dogs

- a parade of elephants

- a pride of lions

- a swarm of bees

- a troop of monkeys

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SMUGGLE OWAD into an English conversation, say something like:

“Contrary to expectation, A MURDER OF CROWS is actually a highly sociable group which works together to build nests, raise their young, and defend their territory.”

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HERZLICHEN DANK to all readers helping me keep OWAD alive with single or monthly donations at:

https://donorbox.org/please-become-a-friend-of-owad-3

and,

Paul Smith, IBAN: DE75 7316 0000 0002 5477 40