It's word game time, but not Scrabble, not Words with Friends, and not crossword puzzles. I want you to try a Venery Game (rules at the end of the column). But first, what are terms of venery or nouns of assembly? Examples include a gaggle of geese, pride of lions, or school of fish. Usually these describe collective groups of animals. Starting back in the Middle Ages, hunting language evolved first in France then in England. Erudite, learned people applied the terms.

Here are some venery terms coined through the years. Remember some date back to the 14th century and are still with us today.

• Colony of ants - School of fish
• Cloud of bats - Troop of foxes
• Swarm of bees - Gaggle of geese
• Flock of birds - String of horses
• Herd of buffalo - Mob of kangaroos
• Clutter of cats - Pride of lions
• Flock of chickens - Parliament of owls
• Pack of dogs - Herd of pigs
• Raft of ducks - Flock of sheep
• Herd of elephants - School of whales

Writers and poets, wanting to play with words, have invented their own terms of venery for professions and people. They can be serious or humorous.

• Tabernacle of bakers - College of cardinals
• Shuffle of bureaucrats - Melody of harpists
• Shrivel of critics - Cast of actors
• Decanter of deans - Host of angels
• Conjunction of grammarians - Body of anatomists

The noun phrases often bring vivid images to mind. They are a trick of our language. Follow these suggestions if you want to try your creativity at making a collective noun:

1. Onomatopoeia - a word that phonetically imitates or suggests the source of the sound it describes (gaggle of geese)
2. Characteristic of the noun (leap of leopards)
3. Appearance (knot of toads, bouquet of pheasants)
4. Habitat (shoal of bass; nest of rabbits)
5. Comment, pro or con, reflecting the observer's point of view (richness of martens, cowardice of curs)

James Lipton, in his An Exaltation of Larks, 1968, lists a multitude of collective nouns, and the book is the most current ode to venery terms. Creation of labels has become a popular pastime since Mr. Lipton's book appeared. From Mary Ann Madden's competition page in New York magazine: "a riot of students; a peck of kisses, a mine of egotists, a host of parasites, a complement of sycophants, a range of ovens, a furrow of brows, a nun of your business, a lot of realtors, a knot of Windsors, a wagon of teetotalers."

So here is the game. Player 1: Declares a noun. Player 2: Responds to the noun by giving the collective noun phrase. Example: Player 1 says "Lark". Player 2 says "An Exaltation of Larks." Give nouns that challenge players to think of new combinations. You can also play in teams, giving team members one minute to come up with a venery term for a noun. Scoring: One Point for published, historic terms, and Five Points for new terms. You probably would do well to have a judge decide if the terms meet criteria. This game can be played anywhere and with no electronics or boards. It will tax imagination and creativity, providing great mental fun.