tempus fugit

By ceridwen

Gaggle

Took some scraps to give my ex-ducks now living on a friend's smallholding. These geese honked a noisy greeting, oblivious of the approach of Christmas. I asked whether any of them were destined for the festive table.

"Well, I'd get rid of the ganders if only I could tell which they are."
Since that would involve grappling with large, vigorous, muddy-footed birds in order to perform an intimate examination I declined to offer my assistance with sex determination.

At home I google gaggle to check the accuracy of the term. And find:
It is a collective noun from venery [mediaeval hunting] referring to no less than 5 geese on the ground (in the air and they'd be a skein);
It's also the word for eight 50lb bags of salt;
In military slang it's 'an unorganized group doing nothing';
And a press gaggle is 'the nickname given to an informal briefing by the White House Press Secretary'.
So now you know.

And, there's a wonderful all-female choir called Gaggle who have recreated a cantata composed in 1969 for 1000 women singers, telling the story of women through the ages, The Brilliant and the Dark. Well worth a listen.

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