Big Ten Wonk Word Of The Day for Tuesday, November 8:
congeries n. a sum total of many heterogenous things taken together. (more)
And get this -- it's used with a singular verb.
Congeries is the Rickey Henderson of English grammar.
[Most players either bat left and throw left or bat right and throw right. There are a few that bat left and throw right. And then there are Rickey and precious few others that bat right and throw left.]
My favorite grammatical anti-Rickey is the way in which Europeans (or probably all non-Americans) describe the actions of sports teams: "Chelsea sit comfortably atop the Premiership." One of my many pet peeves about American sports is how teams such as the Miami Heat and Utah Jazz are used with singular verbs. "The Heat rides a three-game winning streak into tonight's game." No. Please. Plural verbs for all. "The Jazz are coming to Chicago this Saturday, and I will be there." Ah. Better.
[By the way, today's runner-up: Obeisance. But I actually knew that one.]
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