cow, crab, coyote, and a covert of coots

It is hard to find a more mundane word than "cow" but the word "cowpea" was new
to me, along with two useful idioms "have a cow" and "till the cows come home."

The crab seems to have the reputation of a negative attitude and the word taints
some others it pairs with, e.g., crabstick and crabbed but the crab cacti were
elegant and its blossoms beautiful in my childhood memories.

Coyote the animal is familiar but the word also means a smuggler of Mexican
immigrants.

I finally discovered the name of a water bird. Often seen near bay shores, the
coot is a small unglamorous creature and, unlike the egret, rarely alone. A
covert of them either float on the water or hide in the bushes.

[7grizzly]

回複 '暖冬cool夏' 的評論 : Thanks, 暖冬, for reading and sharing "Don't have a cow." The definition of "have a cow" is to become amazed, angered, or upset. So you are right that it carries a negative connotation.

[暖冬cool夏]

Don't have a cow--In general the term means ‘don’t flip out’ or ‘calm down’. It’s usually reserved for someone who is overreacting to a situation that isn’t serious.
It seems that the word "cow", like the "crab" here, has a negative image in the expression.Thanks for sharing this. I didn't know the expression.