Word alterations
Posted by David FG on October 11, 2004
In Reply to: Word alterations posted by word alterations on October 11, 2004
: Is it common to say-
: a *giggle* of girls meaning a group of girls giggling?
:
: and
: He is a workaholic:he *averages* twelve hours working in the office?
:
: Is *average* commonly used that way
: thanks
'Giggle of girls' is not, I think, in common usage, but it has a certain something. It has presumably been invented either by this author (or someone else) as a convenient collective noun.
'Averages' is often used that way (at least in the UK). It is perhaps not the most elegant of uses, but it is very common.