What’s the Collective Noun for Web Browsers?

By Craig Buckler | August 9, 2009 | Web Tech

There’s an aarmory of aardvarks. We have a superfluity of nuns. Then there’s a number of statisticians, the highly improbable blessing of unicorns, and a collective of nouns. But how do we refer to a collection of web browsers? As far as I’m aware, no one has defined a term and it’s becoming increasingly awkward to refer to them.

Perhaps it’s because it’s a relatively new concept to discuss more than one web browser? A mere five years ago we had a single mainstream application. Today, however, we have a healthy and competitive market with an <insert noun here> of web browsers to build for and test against. We could use generic nouns such as ‘set’ or ‘group’ but that’s a little boring.

So, because it’s the weekend, I think we should use SitePoint to discuss and decide the definitive name for a collection of web browsers. Here are my initial suggestions:

a wave of web browsers
a surf of web browsers
a render of web browsers

Or, for those of us still testing IE6…

a worry of web browsers
a wince of web browsers
an exasperation of web browsers, or
a murder of web browsers (although the crows might object to that one)

While we’re at it, there’s no collective noun for developers and programmers. ‘Team’ is tedious, and there’s a “cruft” of hackers — why should they have all the grammatical fun? My vote would be for a disagreement of developers or a quarrel of programmers. I’m sure the comments below will substantiate my suggestions…

Written By:

Craig Buckler

Craig is a Director of OptimalWorks, a UK consultancy dedicated to building award-winning websites implementing standards, accessibility, SEO, and best-practice techniques.

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{ 54 comments }

YahyaAziz August 18, 2009 at 4:48 am: Can’t believe that nobody has yet mentioned a herd of browsers!
BTW, I love the wit of an array of programmers and suspect that the inspiration behind a tantrum of graphics designers may have been found in real life – a developer’s life, that is.
While we’re a it, what about an executive washroom of managers and an expense account of salespeople?
Dan Deacon August 14, 2009 at 7:28 am: how about a RENDERFARM of Browsers
Some Observer August 13, 2009 at 6:15 am: A couple more suggestions:
• a hodgepodge of web browsers
• a farrago of web browsers
• a gallimaufry of web browsers
• a omnium-gatherum of web browsers
• a salmagundi of web browsers
• a jumble of web browsers
All meaning just about the same thing: a motley assortment of things.
Pick the one that has the nicest ring to it.
Craig Buckler August 13, 2009 at 12:41 am: I like that. “Cache of browsers” has my vote!
Tim August 12, 2009 at 11:42 pm: Cache of browsers
Kaj August 12, 2009 at 9:00 pm: An incompatibility of web browsers.
A hash of programmers.
@KajHaffenden
FLJerseyBoy August 12, 2009 at 6:24 am: A bollix of browsers.
(Not to be confused with a bollocks of browsers.)
Some Observer August 12, 2009 at 4:10 am: My suggestion: A survey of browsers.
Browsers August 12, 2009 at 2:07 am: I think we should go with
“A Mess of browsers”
“An array of programmers”
“A tantrum of Designer”
Middleman August 11, 2009 at 9:48 am: I sort of like the suggestion made for “quiver” by Peregine.
Browsers August 11, 2009 at 3:48 am: a cache of browsers?
HonorGod August 11, 2009 at 2:46 am: How about a “cob” of web browsers? ;-)
XtrEM3 August 11, 2009 at 1:12 am: a book of browsers
Oliver Ruehl August 11, 2009 at 12:37 am: Snewdrafibble of browsers.
jphilapy August 11, 2009 at 12:05 am: Ahem… I meant a bowl of browsers….
jphilapy August 11, 2009 at 12:04 am: How about a toilet of browsers?
the.peregrine August 10, 2009 at 10:17 pm: Back when I surfed a lot, I had a small “quiver” of surfboards. Now I have a quiver of browsers for design testing. I like this collective noun because of my personal association with surfing, but it’s also analogous with archery … because with browsers we’re also aiming at various targets (the sites themselves, but also standards compliance).
Jeff
John Allen August 10, 2009 at 9:22 pm: How about a bucket of browsers?
sinky August 10, 2009 at 8:21 pm: Is this what we have droppped to? – who cares!!!
Craig Buckler August 10, 2009 at 4:44 pm: @All Sorts – love “curse of Internet Explorers”!
Markup, cascade, and farm are great too. “Array” is possibly a little too generic for browsers, but works well for developers or programmers.
Elliott August 10, 2009 at 7:47 am: A confusion of browsers?
atw August 10, 2009 at 7:46 am: How about a Smörgåsbord of browsers.
Loving “an array of programmers” and “a tantrum of graphic designers”–awesome!
emanresu August 10, 2009 at 7:18 am: An ‘array’ of programmers doesn’t work for the pythonista.
It would have to be a ‘comprehension’ of python programmers :-)
IDK August 10, 2009 at 7:04 am: Well ‘array’ doesn’t work for the Pythonista.
It would have to be a ‘comprehension’ of python programmers :-)
ferrari_chris August 10, 2009 at 6:45 am: I’ve always liked “an array of programmers”. It goes well with “a palette of designers.”
Haha.
As for web browsers, I quite liked Craig’s suggestion of “a render of web browsers.”
Jacotheron August 10, 2009 at 4:19 am: How about a beach of browsers or a Net of browsers or a board of browsers.
How a bout a tank of programmers.
boen_robot August 10, 2009 at 3:51 am: I’m with “crapload” of browsers… a litle cinical though. Should “definitive” names be cinical? Must we call the MSIE team “a troll squad of programmers” or worse yet – “a c*ck su*king bunch of motherf*ckers” just because we hate IE6? I don’t think so (especially since they are back on that horse with IE8 and are trying even further…).
rc69 August 10, 2009 at 2:26 am: I’m with roberts126: an array of browsers; though crapload works just as well.
Middleman August 10, 2009 at 12:50 am: How about a yaffle of browsers. It’s a Newfoundland term meaning armload. Certainly it is different.
The University has used is for the name of a search engine: http://www.yaffle.ca/
Craig Buckler August 10, 2009 at 12:19 am: I’m loving ‘quirk’ and ‘crapload’!
A tantrum of designers? And I thought it was just the ones I’d worked with…!
palgrave August 9, 2009 at 11:47 pm: May I suggest a tantrum of graphic designers
Jeroen August 9, 2009 at 11:13 pm: A farm of browsers!
Valerie Shipbaugh August 9, 2009 at 8:46 pm: I agree with Slee – Gaggle for web browsers.
LFA August 9, 2009 at 4:07 pm: A shoal of browsers with the hope of them all swiming in the same standards driven direction in the future (could work on developers and programmers too).
ralph.m August 9, 2009 at 3:13 pm: Perhaps a “quirk” of browsers, or “headache”.
guruguy August 9, 2009 at 2:32 pm: I will second girlwithglasses suggestion of a crapload of browsers, I have been referring to browsers like that for a while now. Maybe a den of programmers, plethora of programmers, army of programmers? I hope you can see the lack of inspiration is obvious. Pointless Sundays are fun
girlwithglasses August 9, 2009 at 8:55 am: Just hit by inspiration: a lameness of browsers. ;^)
girlwithglasses August 9, 2009 at 8:51 am: The phrase ‘a crapload of browsers’ immediately sprang to mind… as in “I’ve checked the site on a crapload of browsers”.
How about a ponytail of programmers?
AleXis August 9, 2009 at 7:47 am: I prefer:
- Collection of developers
Anonymous August 9, 2009 at 4:01 am: population
denizen
wfxyz August 9, 2009 at 3:38 am: A cascade of browsers? [CSS]
A markup of browsers? [html]
Should anything must have a collective noun? ;p
roberts126 August 9, 2009 at 2:23 am: A Cadre of programmers (Cadre of Coders)
A Batch of browsers, An array of browsers (works with the programmers too), or an aggregation of browsers. And no that’s not an aggrevation of browsers.
Rick O August 9, 2009 at 1:51 am: What, “a surfeit of web browsers” was too obvious?
All Sorts August 9, 2009 at 1:30 am: We’ve been tracking #collectivenouns on Twitter for a few months now, and one of the most popular suggestions is:
a curse of internet explorers
We already have a couple of suggestions for the collective noun for web developers, programmers and more generically geeks.
If you would like to have your suggestions added to the All Sorts index of collective nouns, just tweet your ideas – one suggestion per tweet – and include the #collectivenouns hashtag.
boen_robot August 9, 2009 at 1:12 am: How about a “ballot” of browsers, hence the “ballot” screen? Already familiar enough, and is relatively catchy.
As for programmers… I like “team”. What’s wrong with that? Oh, OK, fine… how about a “closure” of programmers? Or perhaps a “nest” of programmers? Maybe a “cage” of programmers (talk about “coding monkeys”…)?
PixieLittle August 9, 2009 at 12:59 am: An expedition of browsers (think Safari, Explorer…). Or a voyage.
key_tpol August 9, 2009 at 12:46 am: A stall?
cazcastalla August 9, 2009 at 12:44 am: I think perhaps a Distortion of Web Browsers
A Rabble of Developers
A Hustle of Programmers
Ben August 9, 2009 at 12:30 am: Love gaggle of web browsers. Nice SLEE.
Jack August 9, 2009 at 12:24 am: How ’bout a swab of web browsers? (went from “shade” to “waddle” to “waggle” back to “waddle” and finally thought, “swab”)
And a complex of programmers.
derekerdmann August 9, 2009 at 12:17 am: I like the quarrel of developers, but I’m not so sure what to use for browsers. A headache of browsers? A pain of browsers? Or how about too many browsers?
Wilhelm Damsleth August 9, 2009 at 12:09 am: A breadth of browsers!
alzwell1 August 9, 2009 at 12:08 am: They’re artificially intelligent, so how ’bout a Pod?
SLEE August 9, 2009 at 12:06 am: i like the idea of a Gaggle of web browsers