{"product_id":"9781789295955-parliament-of-owls","title":"A Parliament of Owls","description":"\u003cmeta content=\"text\/html; charset=utf-8\" http-equiv=\"Content-Type\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA Book of Collective Nouns\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eA Parliament of Owls\u003c\/i\u003e is a highly entertaining journey through one of the most quirky features of the English Language: collective nouns. Discover the history behind these fascinating phrases, many of which we still use to this day.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eWhy are geese in a gaggle? Are lions actually proud? And do crows deserve their murderous moniker? \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCollective nouns\u003c\/b\u003e are one of the most bizarre and baffling aspects of the English language, and this absorbing book \u003cb\u003etells the stories of these evocative phrases\u003c\/b\u003e, exploring and \u003cb\u003eexplaining the etymology\u003c\/b\u003e behind them. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEach collective noun summons up the animal or event it describes. But where did they come from? 'A parliament of owls', for example, seems to have its origins in the 1950s children's classic \u003ci\u003eThe Chronicles of Narnia\u003c\/i\u003e in which C.S. Lewis references a phrase from Chaucer, 'the parliament of fowls'. Lewis' version changed 'fowls' to 'owls' and due to the international success of his books it caught on and is now recognised as dictionary compilers as the 'correct' term for a group of owls. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePerfect for any history or language buff\u003c\/b\u003e, this is an entertaining and fascinating look at many of the bizarre phrases which have stood the test of time.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Rarewaves","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":40991854985313,"sku":"9781789295955","price":9.31,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0092\/7504\/8033\/files\/orig_28392059.jpg?v=1722584573","url":"https:\/\/www.rarewaves.com\/products\/9781789295955-parliament-of-owls","provider":"Rarewaves.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}