2 posts tagged “books”
A pride of lions. A comedy of errors. A gaggle of geese. These are phrases almost everyone knows. But have you ever stopped to wonder how they came about?
Look no further than the English nobility of the fifteenth century. Blessed with a love of language, a competitive spirit, and lots and lots of idle time, England's best and brightest devoted themselves to crafting the most poetic and pithy collective nouns imaginable. (One does has to keep busy while the lower classes are fighting wars and building stuff.)
Many of these phrases are still commonplace today. A hail of gunfire. A flight of stairs. A swarm of bees. But even more interesting are the phrases that have slipped from common use over time. Some are sublime. And all are still proper English language. So let's see if we can't bring a few of these back...
A Destruction of Wildcats
A Crash of Rhinoceroses
A Skulk of Foxes
A Party of Jays
A Shrewdness of Apes
A Discretion of Priests
An Eloquence of Lawyers
A Proud Showing of Tailors
A Worship of Writers
Better yet, let's create some of our own for today's modern world. I propose...
A Waste of Politicians
A Flop of Ben Affleck Movies
An Enterprise of Trekkies
A Virgin of Online Gamers
An Opportunity of Anna Nicole Smith Boyfriends
Hey, this is fun. Come on, let's make some more. Any suggestions?
Look no further than the English nobility of the fifteenth century. Blessed with a love of language, a competitive spirit, and lots and lots of idle time, England's best and brightest devoted themselves to crafting the most poetic and pithy collective nouns imaginable. (One does has to keep busy while the lower classes are fighting wars and building stuff.)
Many of these phrases are still commonplace today. A hail of gunfire. A flight of stairs. A swarm of bees. But even more interesting are the phrases that have slipped from common use over time. Some are sublime. And all are still proper English language. So let's see if we can't bring a few of these back...
A Destruction of Wildcats
A Crash of Rhinoceroses
A Skulk of Foxes
A Party of Jays
A Shrewdness of Apes
A Discretion of Priests
An Eloquence of Lawyers
A Proud Showing of Tailors
A Worship of Writers
Better yet, let's create some of our own for today's modern world. I propose...
A Waste of Politicians
A Flop of Ben Affleck Movies
An Enterprise of Trekkies
A Virgin of Online Gamers
An Opportunity of Anna Nicole Smith Boyfriends
Hey, this is fun. Come on, let's make some more. Any suggestions?
I once read somewhere that Ray Bradbury makes a point to read one short story, one essay, and one poem a day. He has done this every single day since he was twelve. According to Bradbury, he never knows when something he read years ago would "collide" with what he is reading today to produce an original idea for his own work. Instead of searching for inspiration, which many of us do when we are stuck for ideas, Bradbury has followed a lifetime, disciplined routine of creative input. His amazing creative output validates his approach.
Is there something you can do daily to increase your creative input?
(By the way, one of my uncles gave me a set of Ray Bradbury books when I was nine. I still have those books and return to them from time to time. His short stories, especially, are amazing.)
Is there something you can do daily to increase your creative input?
(By the way, one of my uncles gave me a set of Ray Bradbury books when I was nine. I still have those books and return to them from time to time. His short stories, especially, are amazing.)
