Topics related to taxonomy, the practice and science of classification.
9
votes
1answer
172 views
Why is it that Frisian is considered the closest related language to English?
It is commonly asked "What is the closest language to English?" and the equally common answer is
Frisian
Except that there is rarely a reason given for this connection; the most that is given ...
5
votes
4answers
616 views
Is the term “baby kitten” / “baby puppy” superfluous?
If "kitten" is a juvenile domestic cat, and "puppy" is a juvenile dog, are "baby kitten" or "baby puppy" superfluous or just extremely specific?
6
votes
2answers
395 views
Name for a type of idiom with two things joined (like “raining cats and dogs”, “bread and butter”)
I had heard, a number of years ago, that there is a name for an type of idiomatic expression in which two things are joined to refer to one thing.
An example of this would be “raining cats and dogs”. ...
16
votes
4answers
2k views
A murder of crows?
I love the subset of collective nouns known as the terms of venery. These are collective nouns specific to a particular group of animals. Some of the more inventive examples are: a murder of crows, a ...
