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From: HenHanna <HenHanna@dev.null>
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Subject: Re: A "blank" of lemmings
Date: Sun, 10 Mar 2024 01:12:20 +0000
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Paul Boudreau wrote:

> On Saturday, January 28, 1995 at 6:59:01 PM UTC-8, James J. Herlburt wrote:
>> Okay, I know you can have a pod of whales, a pack of wolves and a
>> murder of crows but does anyone know what a groups of lemmings would be
>> called?
>> A "blank" of lemmings.
>> It's driving me up the wall. I've tried James Lipton's wonderful book
>> "An Exaltation of Larks" which contains a listing of thousands of group 
>> names but lemmings are not mentioned in the index.
>> Any help you can give would be most welcome.
>> James J. Hurlburt - - jjh37997@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu

  
  
  __________________________________

Unlike whales, wolves, and crows, which have specific collective nouns associated with them (pod, pack, and murder), there isn't a widely recognized collective noun for a group of lemmings.

Here's why:

Scientific Focus: In scientific contexts, lemmings are simply referred to as a colony or a population.

Myth vs. Reality: The popular image of lemmings mindlessly following each other off cliffs is a myth. Their mass migrations are more strategic movements in search of food or new habitats.

Informal Terms: There aren't any established informal terms used widely for a group of lemmings. Some online discussions propose terms like "implication" or "swarm" based on their movement patterns, but these haven't gained widespread acceptance.

  
  
So, while there isn't a special collective noun for lemmings, "colony" or "population" work best in formal contexts.