flock vs mess

flock

noun
  • A number of birds together in a group, such as those gathered together for the purpose of migration. 

  • A large number of animals associated together in a group; commonly used of sheep, but (dated) also used for goats, farmed animals, and a wide variety of animals. 

  • Very fine sifted woollen refuse, especially that from shearing the nap of cloths, formerly used as a coating for wallpaper to give it a velvety or clothlike appearance; also, the dust of vegetable fibre used for a similar purpose. 

  • A large number of people. 

  • Those served by a particular pastor or shepherd.herd/flock 

  • Coarse tufts of wool or cotton used in bedding. 

  • A religious congregation. 

  • A lock of wool or hair. 

verb
  • To cover a Christmas tree with artificial snow. 

  • To coat a surface with dense fibers or particles; especially, to create a dense arrangement of fibers with a desired nap. 

  • To treat a pool with chemicals to remove suspended particles. 

  • To congregate in or head towards a place in large numbers. 

mess

noun
  • A group of iguanas. 

  • A disagreeable mixture or confusion of things; hence, a situation resulting from blundering or from misunderstanding. 

  • A building or room in which mess is eaten. 

  • A number of persons who eat together, and for whom food is prepared in common, especially military personnel who eat at the same table. 

  • The milk given by a cow at one milking. 

  • A large quantity or number. 

  • Excrement. 

  • A person in a state of (especially emotional) turmoil or disarray; an emotional wreck. 

  • A dessert of fruit and cream, similar to a fool. 

  • A set of four (from the old practice of dividing companies into sets of four at dinner). 

verb
  • To eat (with others). 

  • To make soiled by ejaculating. 

  • To screw around with, to bother, to be annoying to. 

  • To supply with a mess. 

  • To belong to a mess. 

  • To make soiled by defecating. 

  • To take meals with a mess. 

  • To throw into disorder or to ruin. 

  • To interfere. 

How often have the words flock and mess occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )