Troop and Troupe

Last week’s post, “Different From and Different Than,” was a lot to digest. This week, the subject is a little less complicated: "Troop and Troupe." There’s nothing much to understand; the key is simply finding a way to remember which is which. (Ms. Picky will give you a mnemonic device.)

Troop:

Troop is usually a noun, and it means a large group of similar people—such as Girl Scouts, or soldiers, or even certain animals (such as monkeys)—who are organized into groups. Troop is rarely used as a verb, but, when it is, it usually implies a manner of movement related to the military meaning of the noun troop, such as marching.

Examples:

He was the Cub Scout leader in charge of the hike, and he was responsible for the safety of all the boys in the troop.

“F Troop” was a popular sixties TV comedy about soldiers in the American Civil War.

When he was in the army, he served as part of a tank troop.

A troop of monkeys attacked their camp and carried off all their supplies.

Troupe:

Troupe can be either a noun or a verb.

Troupe as a noun also refers to a group of people—but in this case the group of people is understood to be a group of entertainers, such as actors or circus performers, who travel around.

Examples:

Troupe as a verb refers to the same group of performers, but defines their traveling relevant to their performances.

She was with a troupe that played the old Catskills circuit.

Their little troupe of actors stayed in all the best hotels.

The sword-swallower and the ventriliquist trouped around from one second-rate theater to another.

Mnemonic Device: To remember that troupe relates to performers, think of “It’s unwise to upstage entertainers” (upstage and unwise to remember the u, and entertainers to remember the final e in troupe). To remember that troop relates to organized divisions (like armies), think of the double o as a double-barreled gun.

(No, this is not a political statement. Ms. Picky, like many people these days, comes from a Purple state, and is not endorsing or renouncing the use of firearms for warmongering, peacekeeping, or serial murder. Lighten up. It’s just a mnemonic device.)

Next week's post: Hoard and Horde