I'd be interested in an explanation of the use of "venery" in this context. My dictionary defines venery as "sexual indulgence" or, archaic, as "hunting." What is the missing link from there to gatherations?
In the early oughts, I submitted a group noun to a call-out for such and ended up being mentioned in the follow-up. My contribution -- a dump of spam -- is apparently buried beneath that dump, which has since become both an avalanche of spam and a bankruptcy of spam.
Dump of spam is perfect! I love it! My understanding is that "venery," now obsolete for hunting, ultimately comes from the same root as "venery," sexual desire, through the shared sense of "pursuit."
I'd be interested in an explanation of the use of "venery" in this context. My dictionary defines venery as "sexual indulgence" or, archaic, as "hunting." What is the missing link from there to gatherations?
In the early oughts, I submitted a group noun to a call-out for such and ended up being mentioned in the follow-up. My contribution -- a dump of spam -- is apparently buried beneath that dump, which has since become both an avalanche of spam and a bankruptcy of spam.
Love your substack.
Dump of spam is perfect! I love it! My understanding is that "venery," now obsolete for hunting, ultimately comes from the same root as "venery," sexual desire, through the shared sense of "pursuit."
I would like to add to the list with “a lot of car salesmen.” Or saleswomen.
My favourite recent addition, attributed to comedian Simon Evans, is 'A failure of hermits'.