1 EAGLETON NOTES: A Charm of Starlings

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Friday 26 August 2011

A Charm of Starlings

CJ posted today on the term A Charm of Starlings and explained how the term came about.   It has always seemed to me to be a most inappropriate term for these noisy, quarrelsome and usually objectionable birds (beautiful though some may consider them).  Given that the word charm arose somewhere before the middle of the 19 century and has now fallen into desuetude perhaps we should use another collective noun.

How about A Quarrel of Starlings?  Any ideas? 

5 comments:

  1. starlings? not so charming to me...

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  2. A Scrap of Starlings...........I love watching their bickering........A Bickering of Starlings.

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  3. Definitely has to be a squabble. I'm with CJ.

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  4. desuetude?? old legal habits die hard!
    Yes, squabble might be it...

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