Howling Rat Little Mischief : Howling Rat part is obvious. The Mischief handle (Think M6 handle) was named after the "RAT Mischiefs" being held in the PNW (or so I have read here). A RAT Mischief is a gathering of RATs. The "little" is in reference to the HR handle being smaller than the handle on the M6 or Mini Mojos.
I think the fact that this thread continues on the Yard and has died (or slowed down) on the Swamp says volumes.
Ron Athay
The RAT Mischief gatherings, and the name of the knife, both derive from an older source.
In the Middle Ages one of the noble’s prime recreations was hunting. Since they were noble—and not lowly churls sneaking into My Lord’s hunting preserve for a spot of poaching—they made a complicated game of it. Processions of elegantly garbed Lords and Ladies, scent hounds and gaze hounds to chase the quarry. Running down deer or boar for the larder, eliminating dangerous wolves, flying hawks against smaller quarry.
Part of the fun was the specialized language of the hunt. Collective nouns for specific beasts were known as terms of venery. Thus:
A fesnyng of ferrits
A covey of partridges
A murder of crows
A gang of elk
A parliament of owls
An exaltation of larks
Nor were humans left out of the picture:
A bevy of girls
A rascal of boys
An impatience of wives
A multiply of husbands
An incredulity of cuckolds
An impertinence of peddlers
A boast of soldiers
An abominable sight of monks
A superfluity of nuns (Does the Reformation start to make more sense?)
Rats were no exception. Just as you spoke of a kindle of kittens, you talked about a mischief of rats.
