Esquire magazine has an article listing 75 things every man should know how to do. There are some that you’ll likely disagree with, but many of them are interesting and fun. Here are some of my favorites. Click through to see the full list and read the Esquire explanations.

11. Swim three different strokes
12. Show respect without being a suck-up
14. Chop down a tree
18. Speak a foreign language
27. Play gin with an old guy
35. Jump-start a car
38. Tell a joke
51. Build a campfire
59. Write a thank-you note
69. Tie a knot
72. Stock an emergency bag for the car
75. Negotiate a better price

cranesOne interesting phenomenon that has evolved in the English language is the use of poetic and interesting collective nouns. There is an old English hunting tradition of using nouns of assemblage that are specific to certain kinds of animals, and that is where many of these come from. Sometimes multipe names are even used for the same animal depending on the situation. Ducks are a good example. A dopping of ducks is diving, a paddling of ducks are swimming, a raft of ducks are floating, and a plump of ducks are flying. Below is a list of some other interesting examples, and you can find a description and history on wikipedia as well as specific pages for birds, fish, mammals, and reptiles.

  • a cackle of hyenas
  • a committee of vultures
  • a convocation of eagles
  • a crash of rhinoceroses
  • an exaltation of larks
  • a flutter of butterflies
  • an intrusion of cockroaches
  • a kindle of kittens
  • a leap of leopards
  • a mask of racoons
  • a mob of kangaroo
  • a murder of crows
  • a parliament of owls
  • a piddle of puppies
  • a prickle of porcupines
  • a siege of cranes
  • a sleuth of bears
  • a stand of flamingoes
  • a ubiquity of sparrows
  • an unkindness of ravens
Cosmo Kramer
1. Cosmo Kramer - Seinfeld
He cooked his Chinos in Jerry’s oven. He took on the role of Movie Phone Guy. He kept Japanese visitors in a Farbman chest of drawers. The show would not have been as eccentric or as funny without Kramer across the hall.
Fonzie
2. Arthur “Fonz” Fonzarelli - Happy Days
The quintessential cool guy, Fonz could turn on the lights with the snap of his fingers and start the jukebox with his fist. His character even started a phenomenon when he jumped the shark, a phrase which has since become known as the point when a series starts to go downhill.
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3. Frank and Marie Barone - Everybody Loves Raymond
Cantancerous Frank and passive aggressive Marie are the parents and neighbors of Ray Barone. Almost all of the running gags and funny situations involved the parents in some way, making them as important to the show as Ray himself, and everyone loves him.
Norton
4. Ed Norton - The Honeymooners
It was long before my time, but there’s no denying the popularity and cultural impact of the Honeymooners. Plus I do like to sometimes say “One of these days … to the moon!”
Monica and Rachel
5. Monica Geller and Rachel Green - Friends
Having good looking friends across the hall is pretty good in itself, but the fact that one of them is an obsessive compulsive who likes nothing more than to cook you a meal and clean your apartment makes them valuable neighbors indeed.

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