Re: OED

[Bill Troop billtroop@xxxxxxxx]

I have the sense 'country
dweller' and I want a collective noun. HTOED allows me to find 'the
ruralty'


Bumpkins.


Not quite. Here's  what's great about HTOED. Ruralty is one of six
words (including peasantry) classified under


1. the external world >

the living world >
food and drink >
farming >
farmer >
[noun] >
rustic or peasant >
collectively
http://0-www.oed.com.opac.sfsu.edu/view/th/class/51981 (a1641)


and one of five words (not including peasantry) under


2. society >

inhabiting or dwelling >
inhabitant or resident >
inhabitant according to environment >
country dweller >
[noun] >
collectively
http://0-www.oed.com.opac.sfsu.edu/view/th/class/158331 (a1641)


while bumpkin, in the sense you mean, is classified both under


1. the external world >

the living world >
food and drink >
farming >
farmer >
[noun] >
rustic or peasant >
ignorant
http://0-www.oed.com.opac.sfsu.edu/view/th/class/51984 (1570)
[same family tree as 1. above but a different branch]


and


2. society >

the community >
social class or rank >
the common people >
specific classes of common people >
peasant or rustic >
[noun] >
rude or ignorant
http://0-www.oed.com.opac.sfsu.edu/view/th/class/156883 (1570)


Doubtless there will be many decisions to argue, but by and large,
Christian Kay and her team have done an amazing job.


(The first review of it was my wife's,
http://www.literaryreview.co.uk/barker_11_09.html)