That is a load-bearing “(no explanation necessary)”.
I’d love to see an explanation. How did we get from ‘clowder’ to ‘destruction’? Gaining a syllable and losing alliteration is not a typical linguistic evolution. Who’s actually using this term?
The closest I’ve seen actual examples of is a tongue-in-cheek ‘catastrophe of cats’, and that never went mainstream as far as I’m aware.
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Yes, it’s real. The post was made today on the official Merriam-Webster instagram account. Both terms are used. Destruction is just more modern.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/a-drudge-of-lexicographers-presents-collective-nouns
“Used”
“more modern” = people are saying it on reddit
That is a load-bearing “(no explanation necessary)”.
I’d love to see an explanation. How did we get from ‘clowder’ to ‘destruction’? Gaining a syllable and losing alliteration is not a typical linguistic evolution. Who’s actually using this term?
The closest I’ve seen actual examples of is a tongue-in-cheek ‘catastrophe of cats’, and that never went mainstream as far as I’m aware.
Ditto. Clowder of cats is the term I’m familiar with.
“Destruction” of cats is new to me. I don’t think I like it. Doesn’t roll off the tongue well.