A group of ants is called..

Ants Bees           Caterpillars

A colony A grist, hive, swarm An army

Clams Cockroaches   Flies Gnats

A bed An intrusion A business  A cloud, horde

Grasshopper Hornets   Jellyfish Locusts Oysters

A cloud A nest A smack A plague  A bed

New Words for the Oxford English Dictionary

 

The OED has acknowledged the following words among others and has added them to their list of new words. So if anyone who are not “in” with today’s ever-evolving lingo, they may now consult OED.

 

Retweet - "repost or a forward" of a message on the social networking site Twitter

Sexting - the "the sending of sexually explicit photographs or messages" via mobile phone

Cyberbullying - The use of information technology to bully a person by sending or posting text or images of an intimidating or threatening nature

Jeggings - Leggings resembling tight jeans

Mankini - Bikini for men

Woot -  used to express elation, enthusiasm, or triumph

Noob - a person who is inexperienced in a particular sphere or activity, especially computing or the use of the Internet.

 

Before these, Internet jargons such as LOL or Laugh Out Loud and IMHO or In My Humble Opinion were also added.

Word opposites

The English language is home to a schizophrenic breed of single words with opposite meanings. Here are some examples:

left - departed from/ remaining

clip - fasten/ separate

wind up - start/ end

critical - opposed/ essential

scan - examine carefully/ glance at hastily

temper - soften/ strengthen

bolt - to secure in place/ to dart away

commencement - beginning/ conclusion

sanction - give approval/ censure

moot - debatable/ worthy of debate

fix - mend/ mess

Pangrams

Are you familiar with the phrase "A quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog?" It's a sentence which contains all the letters of the alphabet. This is called a Pangram from the Greek words "pan gramma", every letter. Pangrams are used to display typefaces and test equipments. For example, the pangram The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog was utilized by Western Union to test Telex/TWX data communication equipment for accuracy and reliability. It actually is the most well known pangram. Those phrases which contain all the letters of the alphabet exactly once are called perfect pangrams. Forming these type of pangrams are very difficult to achieve.

In the 1980s Michael Jones submitted two pangrams to Guinness: "Veldt jynx grimps waqf zho buck" and "Qursh gowf veldt jynx zimb pack." Guinness chose the first one. Michael writes that the second pangram "describes a scene where some Arabian coins are striking a group of flies gathered on that woodpecker. The two pangrams are formed using the alphabets only once, and without proper nouns, acronyms and abbreviations.

Here are examples of the other type of perfect pangrams which uses proper nouns, punctuation symbols and abbreviations.

Blowzy night-frumps vex'd Jack Q.
Glum Schwartzkopf vex'd by NJ IQ.
New job: fix Mr. Gluck's hazy TV, PDQ!
Frowzy things plumb vex'd Jack Q.
J. Q. Vandz struck my big fox whelp.

Here are other examples of pangrams:

Quit beer," vows dizzy, puking, Michael J. Fox (by Idris Mercer)
A large fawn jumped quickly over white zinc boxes.
A mad boxer shot a quick, gloved jab to the jaw of his dizzy opponent.
A popular belief is that fornication would be a quick fix for some overzealously judicious governments.
A quart jar of oil mixed with zinc oxide makes a very bright paint.
A quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
A quick movement of the enemy will jeopardize six gunboats.
A very bad quack might jinx zippy fowls. 32
About sixty codfish eggs will make a quarter pound of very fizzy jelly.
Alfredo just must bring very exciting news to the plaza quickly.
All questions asked by five watch experts amazed the judge.
Amazingly few discotheques provide jukeboxes (40)
An inspired calligrapher can create pages of beauty using stick ink, quill, brush, pick-axe, buzz saw, or even strawberry jam.
Anxious Paul waved back his pa from the zinc quarry just sighted.
As we explored the gulf of Zanzibar, we quickly moved closer to the jutting rocks.
Astronaut Quincy B. Zack defies gravity with six jet fuel pumps.
Back in June we delivered oxygen equipment of the same size.
Back in my quaint garden, jaunty zinnias vie with flaunting phlox.
Ban foul, toxic smogs which quickly jeopardize lives.
Barkeep! A flaming tequila swizzle and a vodka and Ajax, hold the cherry.
Baroque? Hell, just mix a dozen wacky pi fonts & you've got it.
Bawds jog, flick quartz, vex nymph. 27 (by Sir Jeremy Morse)
Big July earthquakes confound zany experimental vow.
Blowzy frights vex, and jump quick. (28)
Blowzy night-frumps vex'd Jack Q. 26
Blowzy red vixens fight for a quick jump.
Boy, Max felt hazy during his quick weaving jumps!
Boys of quartz duck phlegm, vow jinx. (29)
Brawny gods just flocked up to quiz and vex him.
Breezily jingling $3,416,857,209, wise advertiser ambles to the bank, his exchequer amplified.
Brick quiz whangs jumpy veldt fox.
By Jove, my quick study of lexicography won a prize.
Campus TV quiz: just why is gold buried at Fort Knox? [Games For Insomniacs (1966) by John G. Fuller]
Cozy lummox gives smart squid who asks for job pen. (41)
Cozy sphinx waves quart jug of bad milk. (32)
Crazy Fredericka bought many very exquisite opal jewels. 48
Crux: Why joking TV blazes FM PDQ? (26) (by Toby Gottfried, 2005)
Cwm kvutza qoph jynx fled brigs. (by Greg and Peter Maggs)
Cwm, fjord-bank glyphs vext quiz 26 (by Dmitri Borgmann)
Dangerously frozen, he quickly judged his extremities to be waterproof.
Doxy with charming buzz quaffs vodka julep.
Dr. Jekyll vows to finish zapping quixotic bum (by Idris Mercer)
Dub waltz, nymph, for quick jigs vex. 28
Dumpy kibitzer jingles as exchequer overflows.
Ebenezer unexpectedly bagged two tranquil aardvarks with his jiffy vacuum cleaner.
Emily Q. Jung-Schwartzkopf XV, B.D. (26)
Exquisite farm wench gives body jolt to prize stinker.
Exquisite wizard flock behaving jumpy (by Idris Mercer)
Fabled reader with jaded, roving eye seized by quickened impulse to expand budget.
Few quips galvanized the mock jury box. (32)
Five big quacking zephyrs jolt my wax bed.
Five jumbo oxen graze quietly with packs of dogs.
Five or six big jet planes zoomed quickly by the tower.
Five wine experts jokingly quizzed chablis sample.
Fjord-buck zags whelm qvint pyx. (26) (by Dmitri Borgmann)

Great Anagrams

Someone out there either has too much spare time or is deadly at Scrabble. (Wait till you see the last one)!


DORMITORY:
When you rearrange the letters:
DIRTY ROOM

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

PRESBYTERIAN:
When you rearrange the letters:
BEST IN PRAYER

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ASTRONOMER:
When you rearrange the letters:
MOON STARER

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DESPERATION:
When you rearrange the letters:
A ROPE ENDS IT

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

THE EYES:
When you rearrange the letters:
THEY SEE

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GEORGE BUSH:
When you rearrange the letters:
HE BUGS GORE

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

THE MORSE CODE:
When you rearrange the letters:
HERE COME DOTS

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

SLOT MACHINES:
When you rearrange the letters:
CASH LOST IN ME

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ANIMOSITY:
When you rearrange the letters:
IS NO AMITY

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ELECTION RESULTS:
When you rearrange the letters:
LIES - LET'S RECOUNT

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

MOTHER-IN-LAW:
When you rearrange the letters:
WOMAN HITLER

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

SNOOZE ALARMS:
When you rearrange the letters:
ALAS! NO MORE Z 'S

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A DECIMAL POINT:
When you rearrange the letters:
IM A DOT IN PLACE

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

THE EARTHQUAKES:
When you rearrange the letters:
THAT QUEER SHAKE

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AND FOR THE GRAND FINALE:

ELEVEN PLUS TWO:
When you rearrange the letters:
TWELVE PLUS ONE

Grammatically Grammared!

1) The bandage was wound around the wound.
2) The farm was used to produce produce.
3) The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.
4) We must polish the Polish furniture.
5) He could lead if he would get the lead out.
6) The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.
7) Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.
8) At the Army base, a bass was painted on the head of a bass drum.
9) When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.
10) I did not object to the object.
11) The insurance was invalid for the invalid.
12) There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.
13) They were too close to the door to close it.
14) The buck does funny things when the does are present.
15) A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.
16) To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.
17) The wind was too strong to wind the sail.
18) After a number of Novocain injections, my jaw got number.
19) Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.
20) I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.
21) How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?
22) I spent last evening evening out a pile of dirt.

Screwy pronunciations can mess up your mind! For example...If you have a rough cough, climbing can be tough when going through the bough on a tree!

The beauty of the English language... or not.

We'll begin with a box, and the plural is boxes;
but the plural of ox became oxen not oxes.
One fowl is a goose, but two are called geese,
yet the plural of moose should never be meese.
You may find a lone mouse or a nest full of mice;
yet the plural of house is houses, not hice.

If the plural of man is always called men,
why shouldn't the plural of pan be called pen?
If I spoke of my foot and show you my feet,
and I give you a boot, would a pair be called beet?
If one is a tooth and a whole set are teeth,
why shouldn't the plural of booth be called beeth?

Then one may be that, and three would be those,
yet hat in the plural would never be hose,
and the plural of cat is cats, not cose.
We speak of a brother and also of brethren,
but though we say mother, we never say methren.

Then the masculine pronouns are he, his and him,
but imagine the feminine, she, shis and shim.
Let's face it - English is a crazy language.
There is no egg in eggplant nor ham in hamburger;
neither apple nor pine in pineapple.

English muffins weren't invented in England.
We take English for granted, but if we explore its paradoxes,
we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square,
and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.

And why is it that writers write but fingers don't fing,
grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham?
Doesn't it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend.
If you have a bunch of odds and ends
and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it?

If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught?
If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?
Sometimes I think all the folks who grew up speaking English
should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane.

In what other language do people recite at a play and play at a recital?
We ship by truck but send cargo by ship.
We have noses that run and feet that smell.
We park in a driveway and drive in a parkway.
And how can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same,
while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites?

You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language
in which your house can burn up as it burns down,
in which you fill in a form by filling it out, and in which an alarm goes
off by going on.

And, in closing, if Father is Pop, how come Mother's not Mop?

AND IF PEOPLE FROM POLAND ARE CALLED POLES THEN PEOPLE FROM HOLLAND SHOULD
BE HOLES AND THE GERMANS, GERMS

Read this and be amazed!

Can you raed tihs? Olny smoe plepoe can. I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt! if you can raed tihs forwrad it.

English Paradoxims

There is no egg in eggplant nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple...

English muffins were not invented in England or French fries in France.

Sweetmeats are candies, while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat.

We take English for granted. But if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square, and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.

And why is it that writers write, but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce, and hammers don't ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth,

why isn't the plural of booth beeth? One goose, 2 geese. So, one moose, 2 meese? One index, two indices? Is cheese the plural of choose?If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught?

If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?

In what language do people recite at a play, and play at a recital?

Ship by truck, and send cargo by ship?

Have noses that run and feet that smell?

Park on driveways and drive on parkways?

How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites?

How can the weather be hot as hell one day and cold as hell another?

When a house burns up, it burns down. You fill in a form by filling it out, and an alarm clock goes off by going on.

When the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible.

And why, when I wind up my watch, I start it, but when I wind up this essay, I end it?

Word Fun...

HONORIFICABILITUDINITATIBUS is the longest word consisting entirely of alternating vowels and consonants. It is a word used by Costard in act five, scene one of William Shakespeare's Love's Labour's Lost.

"O, they have lived long on the alms-basket of words.I marvel thy master hath not eaten thee for a word;for thou art not so long by the head as honorificabilitudinitatibus: thou art easierswallowed than a flap-dragon." - Costard, Love's Labour's Lost, Act V, Scene 1

HYPoThAlAmICoHYPoPHYSeAlS is the longest word that can be spelled using chemical symbols which refers to the pituitary and adjacent regions of the brain.

The longest word containing all six vowels, with each vowel occurring only once, is ANTISTREPHORRHYNCHUS (an extinct crustacean).
According to Philip Bennett, the longest words containing the six vowels in alphabetical order are PANCREATICODUODENOSTOMY (surgical formation of an artificial opening connecting the pancreas to the duodenum) and PANCREATICODUODENECTOMY (the most commonly used operation for attempting to remove a cancer of the exocrine pancreas completely) .
PNEUMONOULTRAMICROSCOPICSILICOVOLCANOCONIOSIS (45 letters; a lung disease caused by breathing in certain particles) is the longest word in any English-language dictionary. (It is also spelled -koniosis.) is an alleged lung disease caused by the inhalation of very fine silica dust found in volcanoes.