Prime Minister of New Zealand Joins Arachnoboards?

[DrAce]

http://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/4207895/Key-has-close-encounter-with-tarantula

Maybe not... but he was spotted holding a tarantula during the opening of the new Biological Sciences building at my old Uni. Not many heads of government do that!

Actually, the University of Canterbury has some really good Arachnologists (is that the right term?).

 

[Arachnopuppy]

We all know the New Zealand government is trying to cross breed between sheeps and tarantulas.

 

[DrAce]

...sheeps...

I know this is nit-picking, but for some reason this really grates my nerves.

It's a funny joke, but the word for a lot of sheep is 'sheep'. One sheep, two sheep, a dozen sheep, a flock of sheep. It's an irregular plural.

Sorry, I really am. But that just pulls some deep visceral response in me.

 

[blacktara]

But if you have just lots and lots of sheep - thats sheeps

And if you have even more, then you have sheepses

 

[jebbewocky]

What if you have a herd of multiple types of sheep?
I know with fish that the plural of fish is fish, but if it is a school of different kind of fihs, then "fishes" is appropriate.

 

[Arachnopuppy]

What if you have a herd of multiple types of sheep?
I know with fish that the plural of fish is fish, but if it is a school of different kind of fihs, then "fishes" is appropriate.

I see this issue like the word people. People is plural for person. But it is common practice to say peoples if we're talking about multiple groups of people.

 

[DrAce]

What if you have a herd of multiple types of sheep?
I know with fish that the plural of fish is fish, but if it is a school of different kind of fihs, then "fishes" is appropriate.

I see this issue like the word people. People is plural for person. But it is common practice to say peoples if we're talking about multiple groups of people.

I don't think the word sheeps exists at all. Fishes does.

Even Word agrees. There's a red line underneath it.

 

[jebbewocky]

Word suggests a lot of things, lol.
I might start using sheeps that way anyway.

 

[Kirsten]

Sheep: plural for multiple sheep.
Fish: plural for multiples of a single species of fish
Fishes: plural for multiple species of fish
People: plural for multiples of persons
Peoples: plural for multiple groups of nationalities/races
A people: a term for an entire single race/nationality

 

[The_Phantom]

Sheep: plural for multiple sheep.

So one of the sheep would be a ship?:?

 

[WARPIG]

This thread has a lotta sheep(es) dip in it;P


PIG-

 

[2oCHEVYo0]

Quit sheepin' round people! Seriously though, the Prime Minister held a Tarantula. Cool!!!

 

[TomM]

I think it's pretty obvious:
Ox -> Oxen
Sheep -> Sheepen

 

[Scorpionking20]

I have a buddy that has an interesting way of castrating sheepses.