Shoal???
- Thread starter Celeste
- Start date
Color or Colour?
It's a British affectation. We seem to have a pretty good cross pond dialog going on here.
It's a British affectation. We seem to have a pretty good cross pond dialog going on here.
Elaboration
OK, in "americanized" english a shoal is typically a sandbar (very good - actually derived from "shallow")... but when talking "a shoal of fish" it is the same as "a school of fish" (size indeterminate), but this is typically a british usage of the word. (from m-w.com>)"Middle English shole, from Old English scolu multitude..." back when there were multiple ways to spell everything, in America fishermen used "schoole or school" and in britain they used "shole or shoal".
Get it? Got it? GOOD. :read:
OK, in "americanized" english a shoal is typically a sandbar (very good - actually derived from "shallow")... but when talking "a shoal of fish" it is the same as "a school of fish" (size indeterminate), but this is typically a british usage of the word. (from m-w.com>)"Middle English shole, from Old English scolu multitude..." back when there were multiple ways to spell everything, in America fishermen used "schoole or school" and in britain they used "shole or shoal".
Get it? Got it? GOOD. :read:
I can't help it.
On this page:
shoal
Or did you mean: Shoal (Fish)
Dictionary
shoal1 (sh?l)
n.
A shallow place in a body of water.
A sandy elevation of the bottom of a body of water, constituting a hazard to navigation; a sandbank or sandbar.
v., shoaled, shoal·ing, shoals.
v.intr.
To become shallow: The river shoals suddenly here from eight to two fathoms.
v.tr.
To make shallow: The approach to the harbor was shoaled in the storm.
To come or sail into a shallower part of.
adj.
Having little depth; shallow.
[Middle English shold, shallow, shallows, from Old English sceald, shallow.]
shoal2 (sh?l)
n.
A large group; a crowd.
A large school of fish or other marine animals.
intr.v., shoaled, shoal·ing, shoals.
To come together in large numbers; throng.
[Probably Middle Low German or Middle Dutch sch?le.]
On this page:
shoal
Or did you mean: Shoal (Fish)
Dictionary
shoal1 (sh?l)
n.
A shallow place in a body of water.
A sandy elevation of the bottom of a body of water, constituting a hazard to navigation; a sandbank or sandbar.
v., shoaled, shoal·ing, shoals.
v.intr.
To become shallow: The river shoals suddenly here from eight to two fathoms.
v.tr.
To make shallow: The approach to the harbor was shoaled in the storm.
To come or sail into a shallower part of.
adj.
Having little depth; shallow.
[Middle English shold, shallow, shallows, from Old English sceald, shallow.]
shoal2 (sh?l)
n.
A large group; a crowd.
A large school of fish or other marine animals.
intr.v., shoaled, shoal·ing, shoals.
To come together in large numbers; throng.
[Probably Middle Low German or Middle Dutch sch?le.]
OK, this establishes three things: You (a) are somewhat literate and can read (b) are redundant (c) will claim you are right no matter what source of information is brought to contradict (including the dictionary, encyclopedia, and sworn word of english majors from here to oxford and back again).
Main Entry: 1shoal
Pronunciation: 'shOl
Function: adjective
Etymology: alteration of Middle English shold, from Old English
Main Entry: 2shoal
Function: noun
1 : SHALLOW
2 : a sandbank or sandbar that makes the water shallow; specifically : an elevation which is not rocky and on which there is a depth of water of six fathoms (11 meters) or less
Main Entry: 3shoal
Function: verb
intransitive senses : to become shallow
transitive senses
1 : to come to a shallow or less deep part of
2 : to cause to become shallow or less deep
Main Entry: 4shoal
Function: noun
Etymology: (assumed) Middle English shole, from Old English scolu multitude -- more at SCHOOL
: a large group or number : CROWD <a shoal of fish>
Main Entry: 5shoal
Function: verb
intransitive senses : THRONG, SCHOOL
anything else? :read: yeah I take it personally....
Main Entry: 1shoal
Pronunciation: 'shOl
Function: adjective
Etymology: alteration of Middle English shold, from Old English
Main Entry: 2shoal
Function: noun
1 : SHALLOW
2 : a sandbank or sandbar that makes the water shallow; specifically : an elevation which is not rocky and on which there is a depth of water of six fathoms (11 meters) or less
Main Entry: 3shoal
Function: verb
intransitive senses : to become shallow
transitive senses
1 : to come to a shallow or less deep part of
2 : to cause to become shallow or less deep
Main Entry: 4shoal
Function: noun
Etymology: (assumed) Middle English shole, from Old English scolu multitude -- more at SCHOOL
: a large group or number : CROWD <a shoal of fish>
Main Entry: 5shoal
Function: verb
intransitive senses : THRONG, SCHOOL
anything else? :read: yeah I take it personally....
Um.. is it just me, or are you both saying the same thing?
To the original question:
The way I have heard the word used most often in conversation concerning fish is to describe a large school of fish. When exactly a school becomes a shoal within the parameters of these conversations, I couldn't say, but I would be comfortable stating that for general purposes:
15 Cardinal Tetras would be considered a school
150 Cardinal Tetras would be considered a shoal
Once again, though, it all depends on the context and who you're talking to. As far as the dictionary goes, in common vernacular, what the dictionary says is meaningless. Look at Boston vernacular: "wicked" is used to emphasize that something is more than normal: ie, "That was wicked cool!" translates to "That was not only exciting, but extremely exciting."
To the original question:
The way I have heard the word used most often in conversation concerning fish is to describe a large school of fish. When exactly a school becomes a shoal within the parameters of these conversations, I couldn't say, but I would be comfortable stating that for general purposes:
15 Cardinal Tetras would be considered a school
150 Cardinal Tetras would be considered a shoal
Once again, though, it all depends on the context and who you're talking to. As far as the dictionary goes, in common vernacular, what the dictionary says is meaningless. Look at Boston vernacular: "wicked" is used to emphasize that something is more than normal: ie, "That was wicked cool!" translates to "That was not only exciting, but extremely exciting."
patoloco
De seguro no sabes lo que dice aqu
Fish don't go to school because their books would get wet.
Eventually, the paper will desintegrate and Mr. Dad Fish will have to expend more money on water resistant books, probably made of plastic. In order to afford those new books, Dad Fish will need to work over 16 hours a day. Mrs. Fish will be unhappy and she will dump him.
Now, Mr. Fish is alone, keeping a fry of 45. He will hardly sleep, and after 6 weeks of non-stoping work, he'll jump outside of the water and end his suffering.
The now semi-adult fry, will find shelter in Don Fishone's house, their GodFather. They will grow ip watching him and his minions lurking around the sea, threatening other fish and stealing their goldfish flakes.
But this one day, when Fishic, the eldest brother, is presented to her now dying mother, decides to become a protector. He'll turn into SuperScales, and will face his Godfather's evil empire.
After a series of unfortunate events, which took all his brothers' lives, he challenges Don Fishone. Good vs. Evil. Black vs. White.
The fight begins. There are rotten fins all around, and only one fish standing on his fins: SuperScale.
Now, after returning to his old personality, Fishic decides to be a good person again, and starts going to school again.
p.s. I've been working all day long--- my mind is elsewhere -- this typing has been done automatically by my big toe while I was sleeping.
Eventually, the paper will desintegrate and Mr. Dad Fish will have to expend more money on water resistant books, probably made of plastic. In order to afford those new books, Dad Fish will need to work over 16 hours a day. Mrs. Fish will be unhappy and she will dump him.
Now, Mr. Fish is alone, keeping a fry of 45. He will hardly sleep, and after 6 weeks of non-stoping work, he'll jump outside of the water and end his suffering.
The now semi-adult fry, will find shelter in Don Fishone's house, their GodFather. They will grow ip watching him and his minions lurking around the sea, threatening other fish and stealing their goldfish flakes.
But this one day, when Fishic, the eldest brother, is presented to her now dying mother, decides to become a protector. He'll turn into SuperScales, and will face his Godfather's evil empire.
After a series of unfortunate events, which took all his brothers' lives, he challenges Don Fishone. Good vs. Evil. Black vs. White.
The fight begins. There are rotten fins all around, and only one fish standing on his fins: SuperScale.
Now, after returning to his old personality, Fishic decides to be a good person again, and starts going to school again.
p.s. I've been working all day long--- my mind is elsewhere -- this typing has been done automatically by my big toe while I was sleeping.