What's the right word

[Lee]

bevy of beauties
flock of birds
school of fish
Has there been a word assigned yet to a grouping of mandolins? I'd like to hear all your suggestions. Then let's vote on it, declare a winner, and inform Webster's Dictionary. Heck, we're the authority and what we say goes; right?

[Scotti Adams]

mandoverse..mandomob...hmm..let me think some more..

[JimW]

Hmmm, how about #

Mandii http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif?

Jim

[garyblanchard]

A mess o' mandolins? http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

[pickinpox]

I think the correct term is "cafe of mandolins" http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/coffee.gif

[Michael H Geimer]

A Parking Lot

[Scotti Adams]

Size Most researchers define a small group as having at least three and no more than twelve or fifteen members. A group needs to have at least three members, otherwise it would simply be a dyad. With three members, coalitions can be formed and some kind of organization is present. Too large of a group (more than twelve or fifteen members) inhibits the group members' ability to communicate with everyone else in the group.
Interaction A group's members must be able to communicate freely and openly with all of the other members of the group. Groups will develop norms about discussion and group members will develop roles which will affect the group's interaction.
Goals A group must have a common purpose or goal and they must work together to achieve that goal. The goal brings the group together and holds it together through conflict and tension.

....So how about Mandolition...sounds good to me

To a banjo player it's called a lynch mob.......

[John Flynn]

Just an observation: The examples you used were all for some sort of animate creatures, not inanimate objects. Collective terms for inanimate objects seem to just be quantitative, such as:
A dozen
A gross
A whole s--t load

So to compare apples and apples here, would we not be looking for a term that actually describes a collective of mandolin players, such as:
A mandolin section
A mandolin orchestra
Unemployed (Or is that only for banjo players?)

[dasspunk]

Actually it would be a "muster of mandolins"

Always there to help the team...

[vkioulaphides]

Well... I don't know that the historical would still be current but a mandolin group was (and is) called a mandolinata, an ensemble usually composed of goofy, grey-haired Mediterranean gentlemen (like myself, for example), blithely picking away in some gazebo or boardwalk... (with carnations pinned to their lapels, naturally #http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

Of course, that is a foreign term (Italian) and might not satisfy dictionary requirements or gain enough public acceptance with an English-speaking constituency. Not to mention the confusion with the synonymous genre, i.e. the actual music for a group of mandolins.

Hmm... linguists... any better clues?

[ourgang]

It would have to be called a "CHOP"

[Ted Eschliman]

Better:
"Chop Klatch..."

[Bruce Evans]

The same subject went around the ukulele board about a year ago. If I remember correctly, the consensus was a small group of ukes is a "strum" of ukuleles. So that word is taken. I kinda like the "chop" suggestion.

"Look out in the parking lot. There's a chop load of mandolins!"

Yeah. Why not?

[Lee]

a pickle of mandolins
(might describe a few of the owners as well http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif
A cafe of mandolins would be honorable.
A tichenor of mandolins even more so!

I looked at a website that listed group names and didn't find any inspiration for mandolins but there are some that could be appropriated for banjo. #For example a "pace" [asses] or an "intrusion" [cockroaches].

[dudleyunderhill]

If it is primarily a social event, perhaps
a gathering of mandolins

If a diverse assortment is present, it could be
a myriad of mandolins

But my personal favorite is
a jam of mandolins

[Joe F]

Isn't it obvious?

A "monroe" of mandolins!

[Lee]

A givens of mandolins could be appropriate. He was certainly a prolific builder.

[John Flynn]

How about: "an acquisition of mandolins"

[Bobbie Dier]

A cluster?

[Magnus Geijer]

You're all wrong. It's a bankruptcy of mandolins.

[JawnWhitacre75]

In the Baroque period, the viol was a bowed fretted instrument that predated the cello, with about eight different sizes used for different ranges and parts. The group was called a chest of viols, so a group of mandolins could be called a chest of mandols.

[JGWoods]

To a banjo player it's called a lynch mob.......
You lack perspective by which to appreciate banjo players. Do you realize that one banjo players mistakes can drown out the mistakes of 20 mando players?
gw

[cutbait2]

how about a "rage" of mandolins, as in "when my wife found those mandolins she went into a rage".

[duuuude]

a herd of mandolins http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/cool.gif

(get it, herd/heard?) http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

[Bob DeVellis]

I think we need an entirely new word that doesn't have any pre-existing connotations. A smerge of mandolins? A cabzelt of mandolins? A flarkis of mandolins? Something along those lines.

[John Flynn]

How about honoring some of the great players by going with:

A bushell of mandolins

or

A dawgpack of mandolins

[mad dawg]

How about a gang of mandolins?

Or is gang too reminiscent of West Side Story?
(I am guessing that not many of us here are into dance-fighting. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif)

[Ted Eschliman]

... a string of mandolins.

[atetone]

It is a "Maggle" of mandolins.

[delsbrother]

A group of nine-string instruments is known as a Pepekk of mandolins.

[OdnamNool]

It is a "Maggle" of mandolins.
No, no, no... #That's a gaggle of geese! #It's a macula of mandolins...

[Dagger Gordon]

A MAS(s) of mandolins

[Bobbie Dier]

A funch of mandolins??

[mad dawg]

A MAS(s) of mandolins
Preferably mucho MAS!

[Ted Eschliman]

Course
1: education imparted in a series of lessons or class meetings; [syn: course of study, course of instruction, class] 2: a connected series of events or actions or developments; 3: general line of orientation #as in double course strings [syn: line] 4: a mode of action; #5: a line or route along which something travels or moves 6: part of a meal served at one time; "we sang a chorus in between each course at supper"

This "candidate" hits on many levels of mandolinning activity:
a course of mandolins.

[Ranger]

... a pick of mando's...

Ranger

[Hondo]

Or a "miracle" of mandolins, to play on kswede's "bankruptcy" of mandolins...

[Randy]

My first choice is a "Festival" of mandolins.
Next would be a "Forest" of mandolins.
The tie-ins are obvious.

[Talon]

Here are the first 34 posted..

A mess o' mandolins
A cafe of mandolins
A Mandolition of mandolins
A muster of mandolins
A mandolinata of mandolins
A Chop of mandolins
A Chop Klatch of mandolins
A pickle of mandolins
A jam of mandolins
A monroe of mandolins
A givens of mandolins
An acquisition of mandolins
A cluster of mandolins
A bankruptcy of mandolins
A chest of mandols
A rage of mandolins
A herd(heard) of mandolins
A smerge of mandolins
A cabzelt of mandolins
A flarkis of mandolins
A bushell of mandolins
A dawgpack of mandolins
A gang of mandolins
A string of mandolins
A Maggle of mandolins
A Pepekk of mandolins
A macula of mandolins
A MAS(s) of mandolins
A funch of mandolins
A course of mandolins
A pick of mandolins
A miracle of mandolins
A Festival of mandolins
A Forest of mandolins

I think my favorites so far are..
A string of mandolins
A course of mandolins
A monroe of mandolins
A heard of mandolins

[Lee]

Good work Talon!
I'm liking a festival of mandolins.

[Darryl Wolfe]

gaggle

[John Flynn]

You could have a different collective noun for each brand:

A constellation of Rigels

A flock of Phoenixes

A pan of Nuggets

A fest of Breedloves

A cord of Driftwoods

A bunch of Dudes

A cluster of Red Diamonds

A pot of Gibsons

Etc.

[JD Cowles]

my vote is for "multitude of mandolins" and here's what the thesaurus had to add to that:

"aggregation, army, assemblage, assembly, collection, commonalty, concourse, congregation, crowd, crush, drove, great number, heap, herd, horde, host, infinitude, infinity, jam, legion, loads, lot, lots, majority, mass, mob, mountain, much, myriad, number, numbers, ocean, oodles, people, preponderance, plentitude, plurality, populace, proletariat, public, push, quantity, scores, sea, slew, swarm, throng, turnout"

don't words fuuun? http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/coffee.gif

[Lee]

Hey there Mando Johnny; you're putting the Driftwood in some high falutin' company. Do you know something you should be sharing with us? Last I heard Andrew Poe was finishing up a few more single-digit serial numbers. Have these gotten into peoples hands yet? The first few have gotten high praise.

[Bobbie Dier]

I'm voting for a JAM of mandolins.

[mandocrucian]

A tremolo of mandolins

[John Ely]

Chop is my favorite

[mandorado]

A couple more ideas:
A porchload'a
A banks-worth
A pick'in-frenzy
A log-jam
A Twister
Dawg Pound
A Bushel
A Wakefield

[John Flynn]

Lee:

I was just playing off the words. No quality claim was being made one way or another. I would have used "Johnson" if I could of have thought of a good collective noun for it. "A __ of Johnsons." Naw, don't even go there!
http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

[ActionClaw]

If one man's a man and a group of them, men,
then one mandolin's a mandolin and a group of them, mendolin.

[mrmando]

Two mandolins would be a brace ...

[mrmando]

A larger group would be a caseload -- well, maybe that's more descriptive of the players than of the mandolins.

[John Craton]

Well, let's see.... a collective noun for a gathering of banjos would be a "bonfire," but mandos I'll have to think about.
http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[Brian Aldridge]

couch dressing

[duuuude]

I believe it's a "sh*@tpotful", not to be mistaken with "sh*@load", of which it takes three to make a "sh*@tpotful" if I'm not mistaken.
http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

[mandodebbie]

How about a Mondo of mandolins? (I still think we should make a Mondo Mando Movie!) http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/blues.gif

[johnwilson]

wood choppers ball?

[JiminRussia]

Naw, it's a "plectrum" of mandolins.

[flairbzzt]

A gaggle of Gibsons?

[Rob Powell]

A Pride of Mandolins...and their servants http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

[EasyEd]

Hey All,

The guy at the music store I was at an hour ago said "kindlin - not enough mass to be firewood".

They had a bouzouki that was unreal. Wider than long! 15 frets in about 8 inches and at least 14 15 inches wide - oval hole a course. never seen anything like it! Also they had an f9 and an a9 at prices so good I have to go back an check them tags just in case I was seein things!

Take Care! -Ed-

[mandroid]

A Cacaphony of mandos springs to mind. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif
A Flotsam of (navy) mandolins
a dollop of mandolas
a muster a mumble ,
a mesthoop,(dungheap) meerstemmig ,(polyphonic)
or just a Boel (dutch for a great deal, or a lot...)

http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif

[solerydr]

more than one is simply "mandoli".

[solerydr]

Or not.........